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BT  96  .D8  1832  c.l 
Duncan,  John  M.  1790-1851 
Lectures  on  the  general 
principles  of  moral 


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LECTURES 


ON  THE 


GENERAL  PRINCIPLES 


MORAL    GOVERNMENT, 


A3  THEY  ARE  EXHIBITED   IN  THE 


FIRST   THREE    CHAPTERS 


GENESIS. 
BY  JOHN  m/dUNCAN, 

Pastor  of  the  Associate  Reformed  Congregation  of  Baltimore. 


In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and  the  Word 
was  God. — John  i.  1 

The  Word  was  made  Flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us;  and  we  beheld  his  glory, 
the  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth.— 
John  i.  14. 

Every  one  of  us  shall  give  account  of  himself  to  God. — Rom.  xiv.  12. 


Baltimore: 

PUBLISHED  BY  CUSHING  &   SONS,  No.  6  N.  HOWARD  STREET. 
PRINTED  BY  JAS.  LUCAS  AND  E.  K.  DEAYER. 

1832. 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1832,  by  Jo- 
seph Cushing,  Joseph  Cushing,  Jr.  and  John  Cushing,  in  the  Clerk's 
Office  of  the  District  Court  of  Maryland. 


DEDICATION. 


To  the  Members  of  the  Associate  Reformed  Congregation  of 
Baltimore : — 

Dear  Brethren — 

You  will  recognise,  in  the  following  sheets,  the  sub- 
stance of  a  course  of  pulpit  lectures,  on  the  first  three 
chapters  of  Genesis,  which  I  have  just  finished: — as 
well  as  of  a  series  of  biblical  exercises,  conducted 
with  a  class  of  young  men,  in  your  lecture  room,  two 
years  ago.  Though  I  neither  love  the  toil,  nor  covet 
the  honors  of  authorship,  and  advance  no  pretensions 
to  "the  art  of  making  books;"  yet  I  have  been  indu- 
ced to  prepare  the  following  pages  for  the  press,  in 
consequence  of  having  been  repeatedly  solicited  so  to 
do;  and  in  the  fond  hope  of  relieving  some  ingenuous 
minds,  which  may  have  been  greatly  embarrassed  by 
the  technicalities  of  scholastic  theology.  I  have  endea- 
vored to  express  myself  in  a  clear  and  perspicuous 
manner ;  though  possibly  in  this  I  may  have  failed  in 
many  instances,  as  I  seldom  use  my  pen,  and  have 
now  been  compelled  to  write  rapidly. 

The  views  which  you  have  already  heard,  and 
which  are  here  presented  to  you  in  a  form  that  will 
afford  you  an  opportunity  for  more  leisurely  examina- 
tion, are  the  result  of  my  own  researches, — long,  pa- 
tiently and  diligently  pursued.  This  remark  is  made, 
because  I  know  not  to  what  dark  age,  or  to  what  wander- 


viii  DEDICATION. 

ing,  whimsical  and  hated  errorist,  my  ideas  may  be 
referred.  A  hard  name  is  the  magic  wand,  by 
which  an  angry,  but  feeble,  disputant  often  metamor- 
phoses the  humblest  pretensions  into  the  mightiest 
misdemeanor.  Already  you  know,  if  rumor  utters  a 
true  report,  I  have  been  represented  as  worthy  to  bear 
the  name  and  the  reproach  of  almost  every  heresy 
which  has  ever  appeared;  while,  like  the  bible  itself, 
whose  single  authority  over  the  human  conscience,  it 
has  been  my  lot  to  proclaim  and  defend,  I  have  had  the 
singular  felicity,  or  infelicity,  of  being  successively 
claimed  by  all  parties.  The  allegations,  which  have 
been  thus  so  freely  made,  form  no  small  commendation 
of  the  argument  to  which  your  attention  has  been  in- 
vited; for,  if  different  parties,  professedly  deriving 
their  peculiarities  from  the  bible,  can  so  readily  dis- 
cern their  peculiarities  in  the  doctrines  I  have  advan- 
ced, those  doctrines  and  the  bible  must  appear  quite 
like  to  each  other.  And  if,  feeling  the  point  of  this 
remark,  critics,  who  have  so  gratuitously  expressed 
either  their  praise  or  their  condemnation,  should  now 
change  their  ground,  they  may,  perhaps,  discover  that 
opinions  founded  on  hearsay  testimony,  or  on  suppos- 
ed powers  of  intuition,  or  under  the  force  of  obstinate 
and  preconceived  prejudices,  will  always,  most  proba- 
bly, be  inaccurate.  At  all  events,  you  will  have  it 
fairly  in  your  power  to  correct  the  misrepresentations 
with  which  you  have  been  most  painfully  and  unkind- 
ly annoyed,  as  well  as  to  show  that  an  honest,  well 
meant  effort  to  elucidate  the  philosophical  principles  of 
Christianity,  by  no  means  involves  the  abandonment  of 
Christianity  itself.     Human  creeds,  however  antique 


DEDICATION.  ix 

and  abstruse  they  may  be,  are  not  in  your  view,  syn- 
onymous with  the  gospel — The  one  may  be  renoun- 
ced, while  the  other  shall  appear  in  greater  beauty 
and  simplicity. 

You  know  well,  that  I  never  have  aspired  after,  and 
therefore,  in  presenting  the  following  work  to  your 
careful  and  candid  perusal,  cannot  now  be  seeking  to 
obtain,  a  dominion  over  your  faith.  The  doctrine 
which  you  have  uniformly  heard  from  my  lips,  and 
which  is  here  transcribed  with  my  pen,  has  proclaim- 
ed your  right  to  examine  truth  for  yourselves,  as  the 
privilege  and  dignity  of  your  intellectual  existence  ; 
while  the  distinct  assurance  has  been  given  to  you  by 
the  redeemer,  that  all  his  children  shall  be  taught  of 
God.  You  can  bear  me  testimony,  how  affectionately 
and  earnestly  these  high  considerations  have  been 
pressed  on  your  attention.  If  indeed,  the  master, 
whom  I  desire  humbly  and  efficiently  to  serve,  has, 
by  his  Spirit,  written  my  epistle  of  commendation  on 
your  hearts,  I  hope  I  know  how  to  thank  him  for  the 
official  honors  so  graciously  conferred,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  rejoice  with  you  in  your  joy. 

Most  cheerfully  do  I  inscribe  this  volume  to  you. 
Twenty  years  have  elapsed,  since  the  pastoral  care 
of  the  congregation  was  committed  to  my  hands. 
Many  have  gone  from  among  you,  during  that  short 
period,  to  meet  "the  Lord  in  the  air,"  and  rejoicing  in 
the  hope  of  his  glory ;  and  many  more,  I  fondly  trust, 
are  peacefully  waiting  the  call  from  on  high,  which 
shall  summon  them  home.  At  the  same  time,  other 
events  have  occurred,  and  painful  to  be  remembered, 
which  were  the  source  of  the  keenest  anxieties ;  and 


x  DEDICATION. 

which  are  now  alluded  to,  only  because  they  awake 
the  fond  recollection  of  your  uninterrupted  kindnesses ; 
while,  from  your  own  well  formed  convictions  of  the 
value  of  christian  liberty,  you  cheerfully  sustained  the 
struggle,  in  wThich  the  acquisition  of  the  sacred  boon  in- 
volved you.  With  like  magnanimity,  I  have  no  doubt 
you  will  maintain  the  blessing  so  secured.  Your  va- 
rious sympathies  and  affectionate  regards  are,  and  ever 
shall  be,  most  gratefully  reciprocated :  Nor  shall  my 
heart  cease  to  plead  for  your  spiritual  and  everlasting 
welfare,  and  that  of  your  children,  while  the  hand,  that 
records  its  tenderest  emotions,  shall  be  able  to  sub- 
scribe the  name  of 

Your  brother  and  pastor, 

JOHN  M.  DUNCAN. 
April,  1832, 


CONTENTS. 


Dedication,     --------------.-.      7 

LECTURE  I. 
Introductory,      ----.---------..13 

LECTURE  II. 

Of  God TheElohim — One  God  and  one  Lord, 31 

LECTURE  III. 

Voice  or  Word. — Word  made  Flesh. — Two-fold  manifestation  of 
God,  ----- -    -    -    -      51 

LECTURE  IV. 

The  Father. — The  Holy  Ghost — Terms  explained. — Views  of 
the  personal  operations  of  God,  in  relation  to  the  government 
of  Man,       -- 68 

LECTURE  V. 

Of  Creation. — Man — Personal  Responsibility,   ------      92 

LECTURE  VI. 

The  Paradisiacal  Constitution. — Tree  of  Life — Rewards  and 
Penalties. — Mosaic  Law — The  Flood,       -------     114 

LECTURE  VII. 

Fall. — Its  circumstances — Its  effects. — Use  of  the  tree  of  know- 
ledge of  good  and  evil Physical  agency  by  which  death  was 

introduced. — Nature  of  death. — Condition  of  all  men. — Law 

and  Gospel. — Human  depravity,       ---------     137 

LECTURE  VIII. 

Mediatorial  Constitution.— Its  origin Mediator.— God  man- 
ifested in  the  flesh Seed  of  the  woman. — Phraseology  ex- 
plained  The  delivering  the   kingdom  to  the  Father,  when 

the  end  shall  come,        _.--- _--     167 

LECTURE  IX. 

Mediatorial  work Manifestation  of  God.— Righteousness  of  the 

Law,  fulfilled  by  the  second  Adam.— Reasons  for  the  death  of 
Christ. — Principles  of  the  divine  administration. — The  recon- 
ciled man. — Pardon  of  actual  transgressions. — Term  atone- 
ment,       - 193 


xii  CONTENTS. 

LECTURE  X. 

Application  of  the  Mediatorial  Constitution General  Views 

Election. — Nature  and  Reason  of  the  two  Dispensations 

Condition  of  the  gentiles Light  of  Nature,    -----    224 

LECTURE  XI. 

Subject  continued. — Ishmael  and  Isaac. — Esau  and  Jacob. — Type 
of  the  Potter. — Pharaoh. — General  reasoning,       -    -    -    -    -    252 

LECTURE  XII. 

Faith  and  Vision — Reason  of  Faith — Nature  of  Faith. — Opera- 
tions of  Faith. — Repentance — Gifts  of  God Divine  Power,     270 

LECTURE  XIII. 

Reason  why  Jehovah  sent  our  first  parents  out  of  Eden The 

principle  of  Labor. — Jewish  laws. — Provisions  for  the  Poor. — 
New  Testament  regulations. — Origin  and  evil  of  public  char- 
ities.— State  of  Society.— Remedies — Ecclesiastical  mistakes. 
— General  conclusions,  -------------     307 

LECTURE  XIV. 

Principle  of   Religious   Forms — Cherubim. — Sacrifice. — New 
Testament  Ordinances,     -------------     344 

Conclusion,  -------- --  369 


LECTURES 
ON   MORAL    GOVERNMENT. 


LECTURE  I. 


INTRODUCTORY 


I  have  announced  my  intention  of  delivering  a  series  of 
prelections,  on  the  first  three  chapters  of  Genesis.  You 
may,  perhaps,  be  aware,  that  in  executing  that  intention, 
sundry  questions  might  arise  which  are  of  a  purely  scientific 
character.  It  is  no  part  of  my  design  to  state,  or  answer 
those  questions.  The  object  I  have  in  view,  will  invite  your 
candid  and  patient  audience  to  a  discussion  of  the  general 
principles  of  God's  moral  government  in  our  world. 

The  history  of  man,  and  the  study  of  the  Bible,  present 
to  every  inquirer  after  truth  two  great  constitutions,  which 
have  been  established  by  divine  legislation; — the  one  origi- 
nal, and  the  other  remedial.  They  are  respectively  described 
as  exactly  corresponding  with  the  intellectual  attributes  of 
human  beings;  as  happily  suited  to  their  earthly  condi- 
tion; and  as  terminating  in  their  weal  or  their  wo,  on 
principles  of  perfect  righteousness.  These  constitutions 
are  uniformly,  in  the  scriptures,  denominated  Law  and 
Gospel;  and  we  speak  of  them  in  the  most  familiar  manner, 
using  those  distinctive  appellations  without  any  reserve. 
Yet  it  is  very  evident  that  they  are  not,  either  politically 
or  technically,  fairly  understood.  A  spirit  of  baneful  con- 
troversy has,  long  since,  converted  them  into  topics  of 
angry  and  embittered  strife.  At  the  present  moment,  the 
whole  church  has  become  the  arena  of  most  unhappy  con- 
tention ;  and  I  fear,  too  much  is  not  said,  when  the  descrip- 
tion is  extended,  so  far  as  to  sketch  out  a  moral  aceldama, 
where  ministerial  plumes  lie  dishonored;  and  where,  to  rob 
2 


14  LECTURES  ON 

a  brother  of  his  high  and  holy  reputation,  as  a  servant  of 
Jesus,  becomes  the  boasted  exploit  of  sectarian  ambition. 

In  undertaking  to  elucidate  the  principles  of  these  two 
constitutions,  I  enter  not  the  lists  as  a  combatant.  They 
fall  under  my  cognizance  in  the  regular  discharge  of  offi- 
cial duty.  The  systematic  form  of  discussion,  under  which 
I  seek  to  detail  my  views,  or  to  investigate  the  philoso- 
phy of  the  constitutions  referred  to,  may  indeed  require 
many  a  painful  allusion  to  the  state  of  moral  science,  to 
the  present  condition  of  the  church,  and  to  the  future 
times,  whose  melancholy  prognostics  crowd  upon  us  so 
thickly  and  rapidly;  but  I  have  no  personal  quarrel  to 
avenge,  nor  any  sectarian  animosities  to  indulge.  The 
present  attempt  has  been  induced  by  a  peculiar  interest 
I  have  been  led  to  cherish  in  the  chapters  selected. 

In  them,  a  group  of  most  interesting  facts  is  presented 
to  your  view.  A  series  of  transactions,  peculiar  on  account 
of  their  simplicity,  is  related  to  have  transpired  ;  and  the 
record  of  the  whole  is  unencumbered  with  any  difficult  tech- 
nicalities, unembarassed  by  doctrinal  speculations,  and  un- 
broken by  sophistical  argument  arising  from  jarring  sys- 
tems: or,  there  is  no  portion  of  the  sacred  volume,  which 
we  can  so  easily  divest  of  these  disadvantages.  It  forms, 
so  to  speak,  a  field  of  moral  inquiry,  which  has  seldom  been 
explored.  It  is  a  part  of  the  holy  scriptures,  on  which  a 
lecture  or  a  sermon  is  rarely  heard  from  our  pulpits.  While 
the  general  mind  may  have  thus  been  unwarily  led  to  over- 
look it  as  unimportant,  the  facts  and  phrases  will  have  a 
freshness  and  a  novelty  about  them,  and  an  opportunity  will 
be  afforded  to  look  at  divine  things  under  other  than  the  or- 
dinary forms  of  illustration.  Like  our  own  beloved  land, 
which  has  become  the  welcome  asylum  to  the  advocates  of 
political  liberty;  who,  tired  of  the  oppression  of  some  an- 
cient regime,  would  gladly  escape  from  the  misrule  of  a 
crippled,  but  infatuated  despotism  ;  these  chapters  may  af- 
ford, to  a  conscientious  and  independent  inquirer  after 
truth,  a  freedom  of  investigation,  after  which  he  in  vain 
sighed  amid  the  subtleties  and  mysteries  of  scholastic  the- 
ology. 

Let  there,  however,  be  no  misunderstanding.  I  have 
not  said  that  these  chapters  have  never  been  examined. 
Use  has  been  made  of  them.  But  commonly,  they  are  sup- 
posed to  state  certain  things,  which,  after  a  course  of  pre- 
vious instruction  authoritatively  communicated,  they  would 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  15 

appear  to  state.  From  such  an  appearance,  easily  discovered 
when  a  proper  reflecting  medium  has  been  provided,  those 
things  are  assumed  as  true ;  and  then  the  various  assump- 
tions thus  derived,  are  carried  into  all  parts  of  the  scrip- 
tures, as  containing  the  true  principles  of  all  wise  and  accu- 
rate biblical  exegesis.  Now  the  question  which  will  meet 
you  at  every  step,  in  the  analysis  on  which  we  are  about 
to  enter,  involves  the  truth  of  those  assumptions.  If  they 
shall  be  found  to  be  true,  of  course  the  conclusions  to  which 
they  lead,  must  be  sustained  :  because  the  logical  ratiocina- 
tion by  which  they  have  been  reached,  is  not  to  be  refuted. 
But  if  those  assumptions  are  not  true,  the  conclusions  to 
which  they  lead  cannot  be  defended.  The  many  new  pre- 
mises which  may  be  afforded,  must  be  carried  through  all 
our  scriptural  exposition,  and  modify  every  subsequent 
view  which  authority  may  have  imposed,  or  education  en- 
grafted. The  process  is  not  very  difficult,  where  candor  is 
not  lacking,  or  where  prejudices  are  not  suffered  to  reign  in 
arbitrary  and  undisputed  sway.  A  mind,  thus  furnished  for 
investigation,  is  as  unlikely  to  be  deceived,  as  it  is  likely  to 
acquire  truth ;  for  its  communion  is  with  the  God  of  truth, 
and  its  appeal  for  wisdom  is  to  him  who  "givethto  all  men 
liberally,  and  upbraideth  not." 

You  may,  perhaps,  more  distinctly  perceive  the  propriety 
of  the  selection  I  have  made,  and  more  cheerfully  submit  to 
its  temporary  guidance,  if  I  should  plead  in  its  behalf  the 
example  of  the  master  himself.  When  the  pharisees  came 
to  him  with  a  question,  which  much  agitated  the  schools  of 
Sammai  and  Hillel,  and  asked,  whether  it  was  '•'  lawful  for  a 
man  to  put  away  his  wife,"  he  answered,  "  what  did  Moses 
command  you  ?"  They  readily  replied — "'  Moses  suffered  to 
give  her  a  bill  of  divorcement  and  to  put  her  away."  True, 
said  the  redeemer — "  For  the  hardness  of  your  heart  he  wrote 
you  that  precept;  but  from  the  beginning  of  the  creation 
God  made  them  male  and  female."  Back  to  the  beginning, 
and  to  the  records  contained  in  these  chapters,  he  carried 
these  disputants,  when  controverting  a  point  of  moral  law. 
May  we  not  do  the  same?  And  are  we  not  particularly,  not 
only  warranted,  but  induced  to  do  so,  when  we  discover 
from  his  mode  of  explaining  apparent  difficulties,  wherein 
certain  things  do  not  seem  to  harmonize  with  general  and 
original  principles,  that  those  difficulties  arise  from  mistaking 
the  character  and  intention  of  some  intervening  circum- 
stances, which  were  merely  prudential  and  temporary  ?  The 


16  LECTURES  ON 

mosaic  law  was  enacted  by  the  divine  lawgiver;  yet  it  does 
not  alter  the  original  statute,  when  the  condition  of  society 
no  longer  required  the  contemplated  indulgence,  and  could 
return  to  her  primordial  relations.  Possibly  there  may  be 
some  other  things,  besides  those  which  are  connected  with 
the  subject  of  divorce,  and  about  which  theologians  may  be 
as  much  divided  as  the  two  Jewish  schools  referred  to ;  and 
in  relation  to  which  they  may  be  equally  fastidious,  without 
possessing  superior  information.  Peradventure  an  appeal 
to  primeval  ordinances  may  be  as  clear  and  satisfactory  in 
such  cases,  as  in  the  precedent  which  has  been  furnished. 

But  can  we  not  all  perceive  that  in  the  present  day,  there 
are  special  reasons,  why  a  minister  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
tenderly  and  affectionately  regarding  the  heritage  which  the 
Lord  hath  given  him,  should  undertake  such  a  discussion, 
and  in  a  manner  most  consistent  with  his  best  judgment  ? 
We  live  in  a  singular  age,  when  many  christians  act,  and 
many  ministers  sustain  their  influence,  more  by  excitement 
than  by  any  thing  else.  It  is  with  pain  I  even  hint  at  some 
of  the  meagre  operations  of  the  day.  But  the  state  of  the 
case  is  as  I  have  described  it,  and  the  revulsion  must  be 
felt  by  every  intelligent  mind;  Is  not  the  whole  christian 
church  deeply  agitated  ?  Are  not  religious  communities 
every  where  thrown  into  distraction  and  turmoil?  The  in- 
novations that  have  disturbed  the  mahomedan  imposture, — 
the  encroachments  which  have  invaded  papal  misrule, — the 
various  assaults  which  have  directed  their  efforts  against  the 
union  of  church  and  state, — the  divisions  between  high- 
church  and  low-church,  old  school  and  new  school,  of 
which  multitudes  talk  so  significantly  and  freely, — the  out- 
cry against  sectarianism, — the  breaking  up  and  threatened 
dissolution  of  old  and  established  parties, — the  warm  con- 
troversies to  which  voluntary  associations  have  given  rise, — 
the  social  combinations  which  are  starting  up  all  around  us, 
and  in  which  the  restlessness  of  the  public  mind  seeks  to 
expend  its  zeal, — this  new,  this  high,  this  varied  excitement, 
which  seems  so  little  to  regard  ancient  ordinances,  and  is 
pervading  the  whole  of  our  moral  interests, — what  means  it 
all? 

Some  are  standing  in  great  fearfulness,  amazed  at  the 
scene  before  them.  Others  are  weeping,  because  the  fathers, 
who  were  so  wise  and  good,  so  learned  and  holy,  have  lost 
their  influence,  and  are  trembling  for  the  ark  itself.  And 
many  are  smiling  with  great  complacency,  promising  to  them- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  17 

selves  that  the  falsehood  of  Christianity  shall  soon  be  ex- 
posed, and  that  the  progress  of  light  and  knowledge  shall 
soon  drive  all  priest-craft  from  the  world.  Though  very 
different  in  their  feelings,  yet  are  they  not  all  alike  superfi- 
cial in  their  views?  Are  not  these  things  too  general,  too 
wide,  and  too  broad, — have  they  not  approached  with  a 
pace  too  regular,  and  with  an  energy  too  powerful,  to  be 
discarded  as  unworthy  of  candid  and  patient  examina- 
tion? They  must  have  a  reason,  and  that  reason  must  be 
commensurate  with  themselves.  Some  change  must  have 
occurred,  involving  the  constitution  of  the  human  mind  it- 
self, to  wake  up  all  this  diversified  feeling;  to  call  forth  all 
this  activity  ;  and  so  deeply  to  interest,  not  only  all  denomi- 
nations of  christians,  but  all  classes  of  human  beings.  And 
he  who  presides  over  the  whole, — the  mediatorial  prince  who 
has  foretold,  from  ancient  times,  the  things  which  are  to 
come  to  pass  in  the  latter  days,  must  be  about  to  accomplish 
some  glorious  work.     To  be  more  particular: 

In  order  to  approach  our  subject  by  the  most  accessi- 
ble avenue,  permit  me  to  ask  you,  why  is  it  that  the  politi- 
cal world  is  so  much  agitated?  Mankind  are  not  more  quiet 
as  politicians,  than  they  are  as  religionists.  The  fact  every 
one  knows.  Revolutions  and  changing  dynasties,  are  too 
frequent,  succeed  each  other  too  rapidly,  and  are  followed 
by  consequences  too  marked  ;  while  their  tidings  spread  too 
extensively,  and  are  met  by  too  many  responses  prompt  and 
loud,  not  to  rouse  the  intensest  anxiety.  Ought  the  fact  to 
be  explained?  Or  shall  we  stand  off  wondering  at  the  phe- 
nomenon, weeping  over  the  convulsion,  or  smiling  com- 
placently at  the  prospect  of  a  catastrophe,  in  which  all  civil 
government  shall  terminate  its  control  ?  Nay,  you  all  know 
the  reason  of  these  perplexities.  Your  children  know  it. 
With  what  enthusiasm  you  talk  about  liberty!  How  quickly 
your  children  imbibe  the  spirit  of  independence  you  breathe. 
Nor  only  so  ;  but  to  your  own  revolution,  as  commencing  a 
new  era  in  the  political  world,  you  ascribe  the  struggles  of 
the  nations  after  free  institutions. 

But  how  came  you  to  know  all  this?  How  does  it  happen 
that  you  so  harmoniously  agree  as  to  the  identity  of  a  gene- 
ral cause,  so  mighty  in  its  influence,  so  certain  in  its  pro- 
gress, and  so  varied  in  its  results  ?  You  have  not  speculated 
at  hazard.  You  have  not  theorised  at  random,  nor  reasoned 
without  premises.  You  sat  down  and  carefully  pondered 
the  things  you  heard.  You  respectfully  listened  to  your 
2* 


18  LECTURES  Otf 

statesmen,  while  they  leisurely  discussed  general  principles; 
traced  effects  to  their  causes,  and  demonstrated  the  inappro- 
priateness  of  ancient  customs  and  laws.  Your  politicians 
were  neither  ashamed  nor  afraid  to  declare  what  they  thought. 
They  courageously  met,  or  with  manly  fortitude  endured, 
the  difficulties  attendant  on  their  noble  enterprise  ;  and  now, 
when  they  are  gone,  you  celebrate  their  deeds,  imitate  their 
example,  and  prize  as  your  richest  inheritance,  the  freedom 
they  left  you. 

Grant  to  your  ministers  like  liberty  and  boldness  of 
speech,  listen  with  equal  patience,  and  without  prejudice, 
examine  with  similar  candor  and  care,  and  you  may  as  readi- 
ly comprehend  the  cause  of  all  that  religious  excitement 
which  has  occurred.  The  cases  are  parallel;  for  what  you 
call  politics  is  but  a  branch,  and  a  very  important  branch  of 
morals.  The  law  of  God,  James  informs  us,  is  "  the  law  of 
liberty:"  so  that  your  profession  calls  upon  you  to  subscribe 
to  the  doctrine  of  liberty,  in  its  reference  to  Christ's  king- 
dom. It  is  your  privilege  to  be  the  free-men  of  the  Lord. 
You  are  forbidden  to  call  any  man  master.  Search  then 
and  see.  Are  you  not  under  the  dominion  of  an  ecclesias- 
tical lordship,  which  men  have  claimed  the  right  to  set  up  ? 
Has  the  question  of  liberty  been  finally  and  fully  settled  by 
the  reformers  in  their  contest  with  papal  infallibility  ?  Do 
you  live  under  no  restrictions  created  by  a  sectarian  policy, 
which  have  been  boldly  defended  ?  Feel  you  no  oppression 
from  the  hand  of  ecclesiastical  power?  If  you  do,  then  may 
you  easily  comprehend  the  reason  of  the  present  excite- 
ment. If  you  do  not,  others  do,  and  they  have  risen  to  com- 
plain. It  is  no  part  of  their  object  to  undermine  Christiani- 
ty, or  to  decline  into  some  of  the  heresies  of  which  they 
have  been  so  ungenerously  accused.  They  love  their  mas- 
ter, and  bless  him  for  his  word.  They  delight  in  his  law 
after  the  inner  man,  and  live  in  intimate  fellowship  with 
him  as  their  counsellor  and  their  Lord  ;  but  they  demand  the 
liberty  wherewith  he  hath  set  them  free. 

It  may  be,  that  many  shall  still  suppose  that  this  subject 
of  moral  liberty  has  made  but  little  impression  on  the  reli- 
gious mind.  And  so  far  as  I  have  yet  stated  the  matter,  the 
remarks  which  have  been  offered,  will,  perhaps,  not  be  felt 
as  very  conclusive.  Combatants  on  all  sides,  seem  to  be  very 
fond  of  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction,  and  of  the  ancient  creeds, 
as  well  as  of  the  annual  statutes,  of  church  courts.  The 
deceptive  ostentation,  the  dazzling  magnificence  of  exte- 


Moral  government.  19 

rior  policy,  together  with  the  show  of  official  character, 
make  a  strong  appeal  to  the  senses.  There  are,  therefore, 
other  matters  that  belong  to  the  subject  of  liberty,  which 
must  be  first  settled,  and  the  discussion  of  which  will  ele- 
vate the  human  mind  above  the  glitter  and  pomp  of  outward 
circumstance.  Or,  according  to  the  favorite  maxim  of  the 
creed  defenders, — "noman  turns  against  creeds,  until  creeds 
turn  against  him,"  which  is  in  other  words  to  assert,  that  no 
patriot  turns  against  the  political  government  of  his  coun- 
try until  he  feels  that  government  to  oppress  him  ;  accord- 
ing to  this  maxim,  the  religious  community  will  not  lose 
their  admiration  of  ecclesiastical  and  sectarian  control,  until 
the  discussion  of  some  previous  questions  shall  have  ele- 
vated their  moral  views.  But  then  that  discussion  is  now 
going  on  with  fearful  intrepidity,  and  ecclesiastical  politi- 
cians are  trembling  for  the  shibboleth  of  their  party.  Nor 
must  they  be  surprised,  or  feel  themselves  entitled  to  break 
out  into  sarcasm  and  invective,  because  that  those  who  are 
outside,  as  well  as  those  who  are  inside,  of  the  church,  are 
deeply  interested  in  the  controversy.  The  matters  at  issue 
involve  the  interest  and  character  of  the  human  mind. — Let 
me  explain  : 

On  what  ground  may  any  man  claim  his  liberty?  God 
made  him  free,  it  may  be  answered.  But  on  what  princi- 
ple has  his  creator  constructed  his  liberty  ?  Is  it  not  on  the 
individuality  of  his  being,  or  in  view  of  his  personal  respon- 
sibility ?  And  is  not  this  same  subject  of  personal  responsi- 
bility, at  this  very  moment,  under  discussion  every  where  ? 
If  then  you  can  rob  a  man  of  his  own  sense  of  individuali- 
ty, or  make  him  feel  so  inane  that  he  ceases  to  regard  the 
value  of  personal  character; — i.  e.  if  you  can  paralyze  his 
conscience,  and  dissipate  his  self  esteem,  then  you  may,  by 
mere  power,  call  it  civil  or  ecclesiastical  as  you  please,  pros- 
trate his  liberty.  But  rest  assured,  that  in  proportion  as  he 
recovers  the  feeling  of  personal  character,  the  scale  will  be 
turned,  and  a  crisis  will  come  on,  when  the  offensive  sta- 
tutes must  be  rescinded.  If  this  be  true,  then  the  day  of 
ecclesiastical  liberty  has  dawned,  and  is  hastening  to  its 
meridian  splendors.  Men  may  hold  to  their  creeds  if  they 
please,  and  talk  about  the  value  of  ecclesiastical  rule  and 
the  impossibility  of  doing  without  it,  if  they  choose,  but 
their  hour  is  coming. 

Take  an  illustration  or  two :  Many  have  been  resolving 
religion  into  an  exclusive  operation  of  divine  power.     But 


20  LECTURES  ON 

now,  every  where,  you  hear  the  doctrine  of  personal  re- 
sponsibility, urged  with  great  point  and  force.  Such  ex- 
pressions as  the  following,  are  becoming  very  common : 
"Men  may  be  saved  if  they  will :  if  they  are  not  saved,  the 
fault  is  their  own."  And  when  the  statement  is  thus  une- 
quivocally set  forth,  multitudes,  who  have  lived  on  the  faith 
of  other  times,  are  exceedingly  startled.  The  preacher  is 
immediately  suspected  of  heresy, — it  may  be  pelagianism, 
or  unitarianism, — rumor  begins  her  "  many  inventions," 
and  puts  forth  her  romantic  tales;  a  series  of  heart-burnings 
are  engendered,  and  ministers  and  elders  learn  to  tamper 
with  the  conscience  of  their  brother.  It  is  a  very  curious 
question,  and  worthy  of  consideration, — why  are  so  many 
old  christians  offended,  when  they  hear  the  sinner's  perdi- 
tion ascribed  to  his  own  fault  ?  Do  they  mean  to  say,  that 
the  fault  is  God's?  If  they  do  not,  why  are  they  offended  ? 

Politics,  I  have  said,  form  a  very  important  branch  of  mo- 
rals, and  involve  the  principles  of  government.  The  ideas 
which  men  may  have  formed  on  the  subject  of  government, 
must  be  alike,  whether  they  be  applied  to  a  divine  or  hu- 
man administration.  They  must  necessarily  be  so.  Now 
in  the  common  discussions  which  grow  out  of  regal  pre- 
tensions, a  controversy  has  long  been  pending  whether  the 
sovereignty  of  kings  and  the  free- agency  of  the  people  are 
compatible  with  each  other?  Dreary  and  disastrous  has  been 
the  experiment  to  which  this  matter  has  been  subjected.  At 
length,  among  ourselves,  the  sovereignty  of  rulers  has  been 
put  under  wholesome  restrictions.  The  free-agency,  the 
individuality,  the  liberty  of  the  people  is  now,  in  our  land, 
the  popular  doctrine  ;  and  it  is  carrying  its  reforming  influ- 
ence into  all  parts  of  the  world. 

So  it  is  in  the  christian  church.  The  doctrine  of  divine 
sovereignty  has  long  been  stated  in  a  form  which  is  supposed 
to  interfere  with  human  free-agency.  Religious  doctrines 
are  often  approached  with  a  superstitious  dread,  as  though 
it  were  unlawful  to  investigate  such  sacred  matters.  But 
the  political  maxims  which  have  become  established,  are 
bringing,  in  spite  of  our  fastidiousness,  the  subtleties  of  the 
schools  into  comparison  with  themselves.  They  cannot  be 
avoided.  Demonstrate  the  free-agency  of  man,  and  on  the 
principle  of  free-agency  he  will  reason  every  where.  Show 
it  to  him  first  where  the  light  is  not  too  brilliant  for  his  steady 
gaze,  and  after  a  little  he  will  follow  on  to  look  at  the  same 
thing  in  more  splendid   connexions;    nor  will  he   be    re- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  21 

strained  by  any  legislative  enactments  which  men  may 
frame.  Under  the  government  of  God,  are  men  free-agents? 
If  they  are,  how  can  this  comport  with  the  old  doctrine  of 
divine  sovereignty  ?  If  they  are  free-agents,  are  they  not  per- 
sonally responsible  to  God :  and  then  what  becomes  of  the  ec- 
clesiastical sovereignty  of  men?  In  whatever  sense  sovereign- 
ty may  be  ascribed,  yet  are  men  entitled  to  dominion  over 
the  human  conscience,  so  far  that  they  may  make  authorita- 
tive creeds  as  standards  of  doctrine  ;  and  erecting  those 
creeds  into  terms  of  communion,  deprive  a  minister  or  a 
christian  of  spiritual  privileges  in  the  community  where  the 
providence  of  God  may  have  located  him  ? 

Carrying  the  inquiry  a  little  further,  another  question 
arises,  can  a  man  be  personally  responsible  for  that  which 
he  does  not  possess,  or  for  that  which  he  cannot  perform  ? 
Do  the  scriptures  proffer  to  the  faith  of  mankind,  a  doctrine 
of  divine  sovereignty,  which  represents  it  as  demanding 
that  which  a  man  cannot  render  ?  In  political  controversy, 
the  human  mind  has  acquired  other  ideas  of  responsibility; 
and  will  no  attempt  be  made  to  ascertain  how  far  those  ideas 
are  compatible  with  our  relations  to  the  divine  throne  ? 
Admitting,  as  every  man  freely  must  admit,  the  infirmities 
of  human  nature  ;  and  moreover  admitting,  as  every  biblical 
reader  freely  must  admit,  that  without  a  mediator  we  can  do 
nothing ;  yet  the  question  necessarily  arises,  does  not  divine 
sovereignty  impose  its  commands  upon  us,  as  being  sus- 
tained by  evangelic  privileges?  Is  it  not  the  sovereignty  of 
a  mediator  of  which  the  scriptures  speak  ?  Are  they  not 
describing  the  administration  of  "a  merciful  and  faithful  high 
priest"  seated  on  the  throne,  who,  having  learned  obedience 
by  the  things  which  he  suffered,  is  regulating  human  con- 
cerns with  a  view  to  the  good  of  men  ;  and  duly  considering 
the  infirmities  incident  to  our  condition,  demands  nothing 
but  that  which  we  can  render?  Is  not  his  government  in 
morals  precisely  analogous  to  his  government  in  physics, 
in  which  human  effort  maybe  most  unreservedly  made,  with 
a  confident  dependence  on  divine  providence  ? 

But  then  are  we  not  dead  in  sin  ?  Has  not  Adam's  trans- 
gession  defrauded  us  of  all  moral  power?  Is  not  this 
the  condition  of  every  man,  until  God  makes  him,  in  the 
exercise  of  his  sovereignty,  spiritually  alive  ?  While  a  man 
is  dead,  can  he  be  personally  responsible?  If  God  shall  not 
make  him  spiritually  alive,  can  his  perdition  be  referred  to 
his  own  fault  ?     These  are  the  interesting  questions,  which. 


22  LECTURES  ON 

an  age  grown  inquisitive  by  political  emancipation,  is  ear- 
nestly pursuing.  And  theologians  have  their  hands  full. 
Adam's  sin  is  now  the  grand  subject  of  debate,  and  particu- 
larly as  its  consequences  are  to  be  considered  in  reference 
to  human  ability  and  inability.  After  all,  the  question,  in 
general  terms  is,  whether  and  how  each  man  is  personally 
responsible  ?  That  he  is  so,  every  one  is  beginning  to  as- 
sert ;  old  systems  will  wither,  and  the  arm  that  would  uphold 
them  will  be  paralized.  The  doctrines  of  personal  respon- 
sibility, and  of  human  liberty,  are  essentially  the  same;  and 
as  they  stand  connected,  they  are  shaking  to  its  centre 
every  ecclesiastical  establishment  in  Christendom.  If  I  tell 
not  the  truth,  believe  me  not. 

There  is  another  matter  which,  in  view  of  our  present  sub- 
ject, deserves  very  special  consideration.  In  every  branch 
of  science,  men  are  very  diligently  engaged  in  making  im- 
provements. We  can  turn  to  no  department  of  society  where 
we  do  not  observe  this  fact,  and  all  the  world  seems  to 
have  been  thrown  into  bustle  by  the  literary  and  philosophi- 
cal pretensions,  which  in  all  directions,  are  courting  public 
respect  and  confidence.  I  am  fully  aware  that  those  who 
are  wise  by  hereditary  statute,  have  caricatured  "  the  march 
of  mind;"  and  that  even  ministers  of  the  gospel  affect  to  be 
facetious,  and  try  to  be  severely  satirical,  when  "  the  signs 
of  the  times"  are  supposed  to  augur  great  and  profitable 
changes.  But  after  all  abatement  is  made  for  the  interesting 
representations  of  the  influential,  and  the  oftentimes  dog- 
matic, leaders  of  public  disputes,  the  change  in  sentiment 
and  feeling,  is  imperceptibly,  but  surely,  introducing  its 
grand  climacteric. 

The  character  of  the  change  which  is  so  visibly  arranging 
its  important  preliminaries,  after  all,  amounts  merely  to  a 
well  meant  and  determined  attempt  to  simplify  that  which 
before  was  abstruse  and  mysterious.  In  other  words,  men 
are  trying  to  understand  and  explain  every  thing,  as  far  as 
their  intellectual  force,  or  their  varied  observation  can  carry 
them.  Even  in  your  schools  a  very  persevering  effort  is 
made,  to  bring  down  the  various  branches  of  education  to 
the  comprehension  of  the  juvenile  mind:  nor  is  the  process 
finished.  In  every  direction  old  theories  are  yielding  to  new 
discoveries,  and  philosophers  are  abandoning  speculation  in 
pursuit  of  facts.  And  shall  nothing  of  a  corresponding 
character  occur  in  morals?    Shall  all  this  intellectual  expen- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  23 

diture,  various  and  enterprising  as  it  is,  accomplish  nothing 
for  the  gospel,  and  bring  no  tribute  to  the  church  ? 

Theologians  very  frequently  treat  a  reputed  opponent  quite 
cavalierly,  and  very  fiercely,  but  inconsiderately,  revile  him 
as  a  heretic.  On  the  present  point  they  may  be  so  disposed 
to  resist  any  application  of  the  preceding  remarks  to  their 
own  science,  and  proudly  tell  us  that  morals  are  always  the 
same.  But  would  they  arer  that  to  be  the  fact,  in  thus  stating 
their  objection  ?  General  principles  may  be  much  the  same  ; 
but  then  are  not  the  principles  of  physics  as  uniformly  the 
same  as  those  of  morals  ?  Have  sun,  moon,  and  stars  al- 
tered their  courses,  or  is  there  any  thing  new  under  the  sun  ? 
Yet  in  relation  to  all  the  different  departments  of  science, 
the  doctrines  of  philosophers  have  changed  again  and  again; 
and  may  not  those  of  moralists  vary  with  equal  ease  and 
frequency?  Can  we  maintain  so  improbable  an  idea,  that 
because  the  principles  of  the  divine  government  are  always 
essentially  the  same,  therefore  the  opinions  of  men,  and 
even  of  good  men,  are  always  accurate  ?  Has  God  himself 
never  modified  his  dispensations,  to  meet  any  particular 
state  of  society  ?  Was  there  no  difference  between  the 
Jewish  ceremony  and  the  patriarchal  ritual  ?  Does  not  the 
gospel  dispensation  differ  from  both,  and  professedly  pre- 
sume on  an  increased  amount  of  intellectual  fojce,  as  though 
the  church  had  escaped  from  childhood,  and  attained  to  full 
age?  To  say  then,  in  the  present  connection,  that  morals 
are  always  the  same,  is  either  ignorantly  or  sophistically,  to 
get  away  from  the  subject  in  hand. 

But  how  stands  the  fact?  Is  there  no  room  for  improvement 
in  the  speculative  opinions  which  men,  and  good  men  too, 
have  promulgated  in  reference  to  religious  principles  ?  Are 
our  theological  systems  so  plain,  that  they  cannot  be  simpli- 
fied ;  or  so  harmonious  that  no  arbitrator  is  required  ?  Will  any 
enlightened  man,  belonging  to  any  of  the  controversial  par- 
ties, undertake  to  say,  that  in  every  thing  he  alone  is  right? 
Are  not  all  the  contending  sects  confessedly  asserting  mys- 
teries? and  is  there  no  danger  of  being  in  error,  when  they 
unhesitatingly  admit,  that  in  many  things,  the  subjects  of 
tneir  speculations  are  above  their  comprehension  ?  Then 
again,  may  not  their  plea  of  mystery  be  the  very  thing  that 
betrays  the  necessity  for  investigation  ? — What  is  a  mystery? 
The  general  idea,  if  I  mistake  not,  is,  that  a  mystery  is  a 
certain  something,  in  its  own  nature  incomprehensible  to  hu- 
man reason;  which  something  is  accordingly  not  to  be  de- 


24  LECTURES  ON 

fined.  The  doctrines  concerning  such  points,  may  always 
be  matter  of  debate;  and  as  no  one  may  pretend  infallibly  to 
decide  what  the  facts  concerning  them  are,  ought  we  not  to 
be  very  cautious  how  we  receive  such  things  as  articles  of 
faith,  and  exceedingly  careful,  to  say  the  least,  that  they  shall 
not  be  too  extensively  multiplied  ?  Our  eternal  all  is  at 
stake,  and  it  is  God's  revelation  on  which  we  are  required 
to  meditate.  Shall  men  rudely  impose  upon  us  their  notions, 
telling  us  how  venerable  they  are  for  their  antiquity,  and 
haughtily  demand  our  assent,  or  superciliously  condemn  our 
hesitancy?  Do  they  not  feel  that  there  is  something  exceed- 
ingly startling  and  forbidding  in  their  whole  statement, 
when  they  apprise  us  that  Christianity  is  full  of  incompre- 
hensible things?  Are  there  really  any  incomprehensible 
thino-s  in  the  gospel, — might  not  some  humble  inquirer  ask, 
without  giving  any  serious  offence? 

I  know  very  well  that  I  am  treading  on  dangerous  ground. 
A  thousand  voices  would  instantly  and  tumultously  reply, 
the  scriptures  themselves  speak  undisguisedly  of  their  own 
mysteries,  and  it  is  in  vain  to  object  to  their  statement. 
God  forbid  that  I  should  utter  one  word  disparaging  to  the 
scriptures,  or  breathe  the  most  distant  suspicion  of  their  di- 
vine inspiration,  or  of  their  indubitable  accuracy.  But,  per- 
haps, by  a  mystery  they  do  not  mean  a  certain  something  in- 
comprehensible to  human  reason.  It  is  worth  our  while  to 
ascertain ;  for  if  they  should  not  so  denominate  that  which 
is  incomprehensible,  then  the  spell  in  which  our  investiga- 
tion may  be  bound,  is  dissolved.  Some  few  quotations  in 
which  instances  of  their  use  of  the  term  will  be  afforded, 
may  determine  this  matter,  without  any  great  dispute:  take 
the  following : 

"  Now  to  him  that  is  of  power  to  establish  you  according 
to  my  gospel,  and  the  preaching  of  Jesus  Christ  according 
to  the  revelation  of  the  mystery,  which  was  kept  secret  since 
the  world  began  ;  but  now  is  made  manifest,  and  by  the 
scriptures  of  the  prophets,  according  to  the  commandment 
of  the  everlasting  God,  made  known  to  all  nations  for  the 
obedience  of  faith."  * 

"  But  we  speak  the  wisdom  of  God  in  a  mystery,  even  the 
hidden  wisdom  which  God  ordained  before  the  world  unto 
our  glory;   which  none  of  the  princes  of  this  world  knew  ; 

but  God  hath   revealed  them  unto   us  by  his  spirit,  for 

the  spirit  searcheth  all  things,  yea  the  deep  things  of  God."  t 
*  Rom.  xvi.  25,26.  f  I  Cor.  ii.  7,  8,  9,  10. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  25 

"  Having  made  known  unto  us  the  mystery  of  his  will,  ac- 
cording to  his  good  pleasure,  which  he  hath  purposed  in 
himself."  * 

" By  revelation  he  made  known  unto  me  the  mystery,  as  I 
wrote  afore  in  few  words ;  whereby  when  ye  read,  ye  may 
understand  my  knowledge  in  the  mystery  of  Christ,  which  in 
other  ages  was  not  made  known  unto  the  sons  of  men."  t 

So  then  mystery  is  a  mere  secret,  which  may  be  made 
known,  made  manifest,  revealed  or  uncovered. 

In  like  manner  the  term  is  applied  to  human  things : 
"The  mystery  of  iniquity  doth  already  work. "I  It  is  also 
used  in  reference  to  a  rite  or  ceremony,  or  emblem  :  "The 
mystery  of  the  seven  stars. "§  "I  will  tell  thee  the  mystery 
of  the  woman  and  of  the  beast  that  carrieth  her."||  Among 
the  heathen  also,  we  hear  of  the  various  mysteries  of  their 
false  gods.  Early  ecclesiastical  writers  used  the  word  with 
the  same  signification  ;  and  it  may  be  found  in  the  commu- 
nion service  of  the  church  of  England,  in  the  same  accepta- 
tion, and  in  reference  to  the  Lord's  supper. 

The  term  then,  in  its  scriptural  use,  is  employed  as  an 
appellative  of  a  mere  secret,  which  may  not  be,  for  a  time, 
fully  disclosed.  And  the  advocate  of  incomprehensible 
things  in  religion  must  find  out  some  other  argument  to 
justify  his  view.  Christianity,  as  it  is  exhibited  in  the  new 
dispensation,  instead  of  being  full  of  mysteries,  is  intended 
to  do  them  away,  and  to  bring  out  to  light,  that  which  had 
been  long  hidden  or  kept  secret.  Supposing  then,  that  the 
popular  systems  of  Christianity  not  only  assert  that  there 
are,  but  actually  teach  to  us,  incomprehensible  things,  and 
tell  us  that  these  matters  are  the  peculiarities  of  the  gospel, 
is  there  no  room  for  improvement?  Ought  we  still  to  main- 
tain mysteries  if  the  scriptures  disown  them  ?  Or  shall  we 
adhere  to  matters  as  certain  verities,  which  are  in  their  own 
nature  incomprehensible,  because  that  in  any  particular  pe- 
riod of  society,  or  in  any  given  state  of  physical  or  moral 
science,  they  may  not  be  explained? 

But  how  has  it  happened  that  the  term,  and  the  thing  of 
which  the  term  is  a  sign,  has  been  so  often,  and  so  much, 
misapplied  ?  How  is  it  that  so  generally  among  ministers 
and  the  pious,  to  say  any  thing  against  mysteries,  is  to  be 
guilty    of  the   worst  of  heresies,  if  not  to   abandon   chris- 

*Eph.  i.  9.  f  Eph.  iii.  4,  5. 

\  2Thess.  ii.  7.  §  Rev.  i.  20. 

||  Rev.  xvii.  7. 


26  LECTURES  ON 

tianity  itself?  One  great  reason  unquestionably  is,  because 
they  certainly  do  hold  certain  things  which  themselves 
cannot  explain.  But  then,  I  apprehend  the  cause  lies 
much  deeper,  and  is  to  be  traced  far  back  in  the  history 
of  our  race.  The  gloomy  legends  which  are  opened  up  to 
view,  by  an  allusion  to  preceding  ages,  many  are  apt  to  re- 
solve into  one  universal,  all  pervading  cause — human  de- 
pravity. It  would  be  folly  in  the  highest  degree,  not  to  ad- 
mit the  existence  and  the  potency  of  the  reason  so  prompt- 
ly assigned.  But  an  inquisitive  mind  asks  for  something 
more  than  an  explanation  which  is  so  general.  There 
is  a  necessity  to  be  more  particular,  and  to  look  after  the 
minuter  operations  of  secondary  agents. 

We  are  told  that  there  were  mysteries  from  the  beginning, 
or  things   which  were  kept  secret  since  the  world  began. 
Starting  at  a  point  so  very  remote,  we  must  follow  society 
down,  as  it  begins  to  expand  and  ramify  itself,  and  may  per- 
haps, thus  discover  the  object   of  our  search.     At  first,  all 
the  various  powers  of  government,  civil  and  ecclesiastical, 
so  to  speak,  were  vested  in  the  same  individual.  The  prince 
was   the  priest,  and  the  priest  was  the   prince.     This  state 
of  things  would  not  only  be  established  by  a   divine  ordi- 
nance, but  resulted  from   the  nature  of  the  case.     Adam 
would  be  naturally  looked  up  to  as  fairly  entitled  to  all  of- 
ficial honors,  and  his  eldest  son   would  as  readily  be  ac- 
knowledged as  his  official  heir.    That  particular  association 
which  is  now  called  the  church,  did  not  arise  until  long  after, 
when  a  double  trial  had  been  made  of  the  efficiency  of  the 
original  system  that  had  placed  the  priest  on  the  throne,  or 
called  the  occupant  of  the  throne  to  act  as  priest.     This  in- 
stitution, as  long  as   it  lasted,  served  to  typify  the   official 
prerogatives  of  the  promised  mediator,  who  is  now  a  priest 
upon  his  throne.     Of  course,  all   government  was   then  to 
have  been  exercised  on  mediatorial  principles; — a  fact  which 
you  may  keep  in  mind,  as  it   has   an  important  bearing  on 
the  question,  whether  Christ  died   for  all  men   or  not,  and 
decides  the  point  whether  the  heathens  are  under  mediato- 
rial law  or  not.     Civil   government,  as  it  was   established 
after  the  fall,  was  intended  to  wear  an  evangelic  character; 
so  that  all  mankind  were,  and  are,  placed   as  much   under 
the  mediatorial  institute,  as  they  had  been  under  the  original 
law. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  follow  society  in  the  future  devel- 
opment and  changes  which  it  exhibits ;  to  notice  the  union 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  O^ 

between  church  and  state  under  the  Jewish  theocracy  ;  the 
disruption  of  that  union  under  the  new  dispensation  ;  its 
re-establishment  under  Constantine  ;  its  perpetuity  to  the 
present  hour,  notwithstanding  that  nations  have  wept  and 
bled  under  its  blighting  influence  ;  nor  the  probable  state  of 
things  during  the  millennium,  when  they  may  revert  to  their 
primordial  simplicity,  and  when  every  trace  of  official  mis- 
rule may  be  obliterated  from  our  distracted  world.  Enough 
has  been  done  to  obtain  a  position  from  which  to  look  after 
the  matter  of  inquiry. 

In  the  state  of  things  which  has  been  described,  it  must 
be  evident  to  every  one,  that  official  men  were  apparently 
entrusted  with  a  great  deal  of  power.  The  exercise  of 
power  is  as  liable  to  corruption,  as  any  thing  else  belonging 
to  man.  A  restless  ambition  would  very  soon  begin  to  ex- 
cogitate schemes  of  aggrandisement,  and  be  dissatisfied 
with  any  thing  short  of  absolute  authority.  The  plan  of 
operation  would  be  covert,  and  its  progress  insidious,  as 
mankind  would  not  readily  surrender  their  liberties.  Every 
plausible  mean,  every  ingenious  artifice,  every  sophistical 
argument  would  be  pertinaciously  employed,  in  order  to  al- 
lay suspicion,  and  so  secure  the  object.  The  prince,  under 
such  circumstances,  and  with  such  designs,  would  not  fail 
to  use  his  sacred  functions,  well  knowing  the  regard  which 
men  have  for  the  holy  things  of  the  Lord,  and  the  excite- 
ment into  which  they  are  easily  thrown  by  the  seeming  in- 
terference of  supernatural  agents.  The  very  moment  that 
religion  degenerates  into  superstition,  the  multitude,  by  ex- 
changing intelligence  for  ignorance,  and  becoming  credu- 
lous instead  of  thoughtful,  are  prepared  for  political  slavery. 
And  so,  on  the  other  hand,  as  soon  as  they  break  their  po- 
litical fetters  and  learn  to  think,  superstition  flies,  and  a  pure 
and  undeflled  religion  may  quickly  interest  their  feelino-s 
and  absorb  their  souls.  Under  such  a  revolution,  "a  nation 
might  be  born  in  a  day." 

Laying  hold  of  these  peculiarities  of  human  nature, 
which  a  mere  politician  often  profoundly  studies,  the  prince, 
in  his  march  after  power,  soon  learns  to  obtain  the  conquest 
of  the  human  mind,  by  appealing  to  its  fears.  A  series  of 
mysteries  preserved  with  sibylline  care,  and  generating  a  set 
of  popular  mystic  notions,  would  be  one  of  his  happiest  and 
most  effectual  expedients.  The  glory  of  the  Lord  would  be 
changed  into  the  most  degenerate  representations;  the  hu- 
man mind  would  become  reprobate;  and  a  spiritual  death, so 


28  LECTURES  ON 

often  ascribed  to  Adam's  sin  as  its  single  and  omnipotent 
cause,  would  supervene.  Every  thing  would  then  be  accom- 
plished which  the  despotic  ruler  had  devised  ;  and  infatuated 
nations  would  transmit  to  their  children  the  very  mysticism, 
which  defrauded  them  of  intellectual  power,  and  converted 
them  into  serfs.  Such  I  take  to  be  the  origin  of  the  false 
ideas  of  mystery  that  are  abroad  in  the  world,  and  by  which 
a  sacred  and  accurate  term  has  been  grossly  misapplied. 

I  would  not  be  understood  to  say,  that,  comparatively 
speaking,  while  we  are  in  this  world,  and  are  living  by  faith, 
we  do  not  "see  through  a  glass  darkly,"  nor  yet  that  there 
are  no  matters  hard  to  be  understood,  in  that  sacred  volume, 
where,  as  Lactantius  figuratively  but  elegantly  remarked, 
"an  elephant  may  swim,  while  a,  lamb  may  wade."  The 
point  is  here :  if  one  man,  or  one  age — if  many  men  or  many 
ages,  be  incompetent  to  explain  a  certain  truth,  does  it  fol- 
low, that  such  a  truth  is  in  its  own  nature  incomprehensible 
to  the  human  mind?  And  if  we  are  only  emerging  from  a 
long  period  of  darkness,  in  which  kings  reigned  with  un- 
questioned supremacy,  and  monarchies  as  such  were  re- 
puted to  be  of  divine  right;  in  which  councils  determined 
articles  of  faith,  and  popes  ruled  in  the  temple  of  God  as 
the  vicegerents  of  "the  messenger  of  the  covenant;"  are 
those  matters  which  could  not  then  be  satisfactorily  explain- 
ed, now  to  be  viewed  as  incomprehensible?  Does  it  follow 
that  what  Calvin  and  Luther  did  not  understand,  no  one 
else  can  elucidate  ?  Or  in  the  multifarious  effort  which  human 
intellect,  free  and  independent,  is  now  making,  are  no  dis- 
coveries to  be  made,  no  new  combinations  to  be  devised,  no 
secrets  to  be  told?  If  the  theologian  has  risen  to  no  higher 
moral  elevation  than  this,  it  is  no  wonder  that  he  feels  his 
imbecility  to  control  the  commotions  around  him  ;  and  piti- 
fully SJgJlS  over  the  disasters  which  fill  his  views  by  day  and 
his  visions  by  night.  Better  that  the  church  had  been  sup- 
plied with  ministers  fresh  from  the  circle  of  her  own  fami- 
lies, than  from  theological  seminaries,  which  thus  prove 
themselves  to  be  but  splendid  deceptions. 

Are  not  "many  running  to  and  fro,  seeking  after  know- 
ledge ?"  Is  not  intelligence  every  where  diffusing  itself? 
Have  not  men  long  been  discussing  human  responsibilities 
on  broad,  general  principles  ?  I  ask  not  whether  any  men  are 
now  more  learned  than  their  predecessors,  or  have  read  and 
written  more  books;  but  whether  the  mass  of  mankind  are 
not  putting  on  a  new  intellectual  character  ?  Children  ask 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  29 

their  parents,  who  never  thought  beyond  the  dogmas  of  their 
catechism,  many  questions  which  they  cannot  answer.  And 
these  larger  children,  opening  their  eyes  upon  the  world 
around  them,  may  ask  their  ministers,  who  never  travelled 
out  of  the  periphery  of  their  own  sectarian  system,  many 
questions  which  the  word  mystery  will  no  longer  answer. 
The  inquirer  is  not  satisfied,  and  will  not  submit  to  rebuke. 
Whatever  may  be  the  final  issue,  such  is  the  present  condi- 
tion of  society.  Inquiry  is  advancing ;  is  growing  impor- 
tunate and  intrepid,  bold  and  adventurous ;  and  they  who 
mean  to  meet  things  as  they  are,  and  to  save  the  world  from 
the  delirious  misrule  of  infidelity,  must  quit  their  creeds,  and 
turn  to  their  bibles.  If  they  will  not,  they  may  calculate 
on  consequences  which  will  prove  these  present  days  to  be 
"but  the  beginning  of  sorrows." 

We  are  informed  by  the  spirit  of  prophecy  that  a  day 
of  great  gloiy  is  to  dawn  upon  our  world.  That  day  cannot 
be  far  distant.  A  time  of  tribulation  may,  and  in  all  proba- 
bility will,  intervene;  but  "the  coming  of  the  Lord  draweth 
nigh."  Is  there  any  preparation  to  be  made  for  his  appear- 
ance ?  Will  he  do  it  all  by  his  own  fearful  judgments,  or  have 
we  a  part  to  act?  Do  any  imagine,  that  the  church  shall  re- 
main as  she  now  is, — broken  up  into  parties,  and  distracted 
by  incessant  hostilities?  Shall  not  these  sects  be  dissolved, 
and  some  other  ecclesiastical  ground  be  marked  out,  where 
brethren  can  meet  in  unity,  and  where  the  divine  blessing  shall 
come  down  like  the  dew  on  Hermon  ?  Are  not  the  various 
parties  heaving  painfully,  as  though  corroded  by  some  mor- 
tal disease  ?  The  "power  of  life  and  death"  has  been  taken 
away;  and  the  reputation  of  many  a  maltreated  son  of  truth 
is  given  up  to  be  adjudicated  by  the  world,  which,  like  Pilate, 
ignorant  of,  and  unconcerned  about,  the  technicalities  of  sec- 
tarian law,  can  find  no  fault.  Society  at  large  is  acquiring 
more  liberal  and  benevolent  feelings,  and  care  very  little 
about  the  distinctions  which  were  forged  in  the  master's 
name,  by  the  false  philosophy  of  past  ages.  And  what  the 
immediate  result  may  be,  depends  very  much  upon  the  offi- 
cial bearing  of  ministerial  men  and  ecclesistical  courts. 
Their  haughty  mien,  their  demand  for  punctilious  conformi- 
ty, and  their  unrelenting  animosities,  will  only  increase  the 
difficulties,  and  deepen  the  gloom.  The  high  concerns  of 
Christ's  house,  and  the  destinies  of  immortal  souls  must  not 
rest  on  the  will  of  well  disciplined  partisans,  or  the  majority 
of  votes  in  an  ecclesiastical  legislature.  The  day  for  these 
3* 


30  LECTURES  ON 

things  is  gone  by.  A  new  era  has  commenced.  It  started 
well,  for  benevolence  was  its  impulse,  and  the  dissemina- 
tion of  truth  was  its  object.  But  how  has  the  scene  changed  ! 
These  very  benevolent  institutions,  appearing  as  purely 
voluntary,  have  become  apples  of  discord;  and  every  heart 
that  has  preserved  its  kind  feelings,  or  beats  with  fraternal 
love  for  dying  men,  is  mourning  at  the  altars  of  the  Lord, 
and  is  sickened  by  the  strife. 

But  if  such  a  day,  as  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  has  predicted, 
is  really  coming;  if  the  time  is  at  hand,  and  if  a  moral  rev- 
olution is  shortly  to  extend  the  redeemer's  kingdom  to 
earth's  utmost  bounds,  how  could  it  be  otherwise  than  that 
mankind  should  be  greatly  excited  ?  Must  not  old  things 
give  place  to  new  things,  and  pass  away  ?  What  else  can 
any  man,  who  has  not  given  himself  up  to  the  sensualities 
of  the  scene  around  him,  expect?  What  else  can  any  man, 
but  the  lover  of  obsolete  ordinances,  or  the  child  of  mere 
animal  feeling,  desire  ?  What  else  can  a  minister,  who  is  not 
too  superannuated  to  admire  the  energy  of  his  children,  or 
too  juvenile  to  understand  the  value  of  official  influence,  or 
too  confident  to  suffer  even  the  Lord  to  work  according  to 
his  good  pleasure,  anticipate  ?  Have  we  never  read  the  story 
of  the  antediluvian  world,  the  discomfiture  of  Pharoah's 
host,  or  the  tale  of  Jerusalem's  destruction  ?  I  protest  to 
you,  that  I  see  not  how  the  millennium  can  come,  without 
such  earthly  doings,  as  those  which  are  now  surprising  the 
world.  That  they  have  come,  and  are  in  their  progress,  only 
confirms  my  confidence  in  the  elder  brother,  who,  sitting  as 
Lord  on  the  throne  of  glory,  presides  over  the  troubled 
scene  which  his  Spirit  foretold.  The  immediate  conse- 
quences, I  confess,  are  deeply  troubling;  for  society  seems 
to  be  dissolving,  and  it  is  no  wonder  that  "men's  hearts  are 
failing  them  for  fear." 

The  foregoing,  and  such  like  views,  ever  present  them- 
selves, when,  according  to  the  ability  which  the  Lord  hath 
given  me,  I  endeavor  to  read  society.  They  have  driven 
me  to  examine  the  scriptures  for  myself.  The  result  of  the 
investigation  shall  be  presented  to  you,  in  the  following 
course  of  lectures.  I  approach  you  with  no  authoritative 
creed,  but  offer  to  your  judgment  trains  of  thought  which 
have  deeply  interested  myself.  You  are  responsible  for 
yourselves.  You  have  the  bible  in  your  own  hands;  you 
have  the  intellectual  spirit  which  God  has  given  you ;  you 
are  surrounded  by  the  various  evolutions  of  the  times;   and 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  31 

you  must  carefully  decide  for  yourselves.  Be  not  intimi- 
dated by  the  outcry  of  those  who  never  ventured  beyond 
their  catechism,  and  perhaps  can  scarcely  tell  you  even  what 
is  in  that.  Search,  on  your  own  responsibility,  for  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Christ.  I  ask  you  to  attend  to  no  speculations 
which  rob  your  master  of  his  divinity,  or  predicate  a  dignity 
of  human  nature  inconsistent  with  the  indispensable  neces- 
sity for  a  mediator,  or  the  gracious  operations  of  the  Spirit 
of  God.  I  have  no  sympathies  with  arian  speculations,  or 
socinian  criticism.  My  simple  object  is  to  declare  truth 
as  I  have  learned  it ;  and  all  that  I  ask  at  your  hands  is  mag- 
nanimity enough  to  listen  to  it.  And  if,  under  the  hysterical 
excitement  necessarily  incident  to  a  community  full  of  mor- 
bid sensibilities,  this  cannot  be  awarded,  I  must  leave  you 
to  the  high  judgment  of  conscience,  which  I  pray  God  may 
not  be  mistaken. 


LECTURE  II. 


Of  God — The  Elohim — One  God  and  one  Lord. 

Moses  has  commenced  his  brief  sketch  of  the  early  an- 
nals of  our  race,  by  asserting  that  "in  the  beginning  God 
made  the  heavens  and  the  earth:"  at  least,  our  translators 
have  so  rendered  his  language.  To  me,  this  declaration 
appears  as  a  mere  truism,  a  self-evident  fact,  which  no  man 
of  common  intellectual  discernment  would  question.  It  is 
indeed  true,  that  some  have  affected  to  deny  the  existence 
of  God ;  or  have  talked  about  the  eternity  of  matter,  as 
though  they  really  understood  what  they  said,  or  whereof 
they  affirmed.  But  then  it  is  equally  true,  that  the  scrip- 
tures have  remarked,  "the  fool  hath  said  in  his  heart  there 
is  no  God."  The  apparently  abstract  proposition,  which 
shows  itself  on  the  face  of  the  text,  would  then  seem  to  be 
uttered  with  a  degree  of  formality  altogether  unnecessary. 
Perhaps  it  may  not  be  so;  and  my  observation  maybe  cen- 
sured, to  say  the  least  of  it,  as  a  mere  piece  of  fastidious 
criticism.     The  sequel  will  evince  whether  the   preceding 


32  LECTURES  ON 

comment  is  accurate  or  not ;  and  whether,  in  the  discussion 
on  which  we  are  entering,  it  has  any  importance. 

Certain  it  is,  that  theologians  have  considered  the  naked 
proposition,  as  given  to  us  by  our  translators,  to  be  abun- 
dantly plain,  and  have  confidently  built  upon  it  their  nu- 
merous and  conflicting  systems.  Having  presented  it  to 
their  pupils  or  readers,  they  immediately  proceed  to  dis- 
course about  God,  as  though  the  subject  of  which  they 
treat,  were  really  within  their  reach.  How  many  beautiful 
and  elaborate  essays,  detailing  and  illustrating  the  divine 
perfections,  have  appeared,  awaking  public  interest,  and 
commanding  public  admiration.  The  human  mind  has  thus 
been  absorbed,  and  has  wasted  all  its  energies,  in  contem- 
plating a  mere  abstraction.  Omnipotence,  omniscience,  om- 
nipresence, infinity  in  every  direction,  our  moralists  have 
labored  to  delineate,  when  they  would  speak  of  their  glo- 
rious creator.  The  subject  they  have  confessed  to  be  in- 
comprehensible, and  seem  to  have  thought  that  they  have 
done  enough  to  satisfy  any  modest  inquirer,  when  they  have 
stated  in  magniloquos  phrase,  that  which  they  did  not  under- 
stand. They  have  thrown  us  to  the  circumference  of  a 
circle,  and  left  us  to  traverse  an  eternal  round. 

But  it  may  be  asked,  whether  it  is  intended  to  deny,  that 
omniscience,  omnipotence,  and  omnipresence,  do  belong  to 
God  ?  Certainly  not.  But  I  do  intend  to  ask,  what  these 
terms  mean?  Explain  to  me  what  omniscience  is,  for  exam- 
ple. It  imports,  some  one  may  reply,  the  knowledge  of  all 
things.  But  then  again,  the  question  may  be  pressed,  what 
are  we  to  understand  by  all  things  ?  And  an  answer, 
stating  all  that  theologians  have  labored  to  conceive  and  to 
express,  may  not  be  so  easily  framed.  If  indeed  I  should 
be  referred  to  the  heavens  and  the  earth  as  the  works  of 
God,  which  he  made,  which  he  knows,  which  he  sustains 
and  superintends,  as  Moses  has  told  us,  that — "in  the  be- 
ginning God  made  the  heavens  and  the  earth"  there  is  then 
no  difficulty  in  comprehending  omniscience,  or  any  of  the 
terms  which  have  been  employed,  as  well  as  their  applica- 
tion. For  then  we  can  form  our  ideas  of  Jehovah  and  his 
attributes,  by  those  things  which  we  know,  which  are  within 
the  range  of  our  perceptions,  and  by  which  he  intended  to 
teach  us  of  himself. 

But  have  our  theologians  been  contented  with  this  dis- 
play? Have  they  not  stretched  their  imagination  far,  very 
far,  beyond  these  limits ;  and  carrying  us   out  of  our  own 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  33 

world,  begun  to  descant  upon  illimitable  space,  and  the  in- 
finite God  filling  illimitable  space?  And  what  do  you  know 
now  ?  You  have  sought  to  rise  to  the  contemplation  of  ob- 
jects beyond  mortal  ken,  and  are  presuming  to  traverse  re- 
gions where  the  great  creator  has  furnished  no  guide. 
Worlds  there  may  be,  systems  of  worlds  there  may  be, 
spreading  themselves  out  in  infinite  space,  or  revolving 
round  the  throne  of  God  as  their  eternal  sun;  but  the  ques- 
tion is  what  do  we  know  about  them?  Who  can  tell  what 
God  is  doing  in  them,  or  among  them  ;  or  describe  in  what 
manner  he  has  revealed  or  manifested  himself  unto  them? 
Yet,  ignorant  as  we  are,  these  are  the  fields  of  conjecture, 
in  which  mankind  have  been  speculating  about  godhead. 
Here  they  suppose  themselves  to  have  studied  the  divine 
character  with  the  greatest  accuracy;  and  on  abstractions, 
of  which  they  have  in  vain  endeavored  to  form  some  intel- 
ligent notions,  they  have  erected  their  various  systems. 
They  cannot  be  satisfied  with  discoursing  about  omnis- 
cience, omnipotence  or  omnipresence,  as  these  things  may 
be  predicated  of  the  world  with  which  we  are  connected; 
but,  attaching  to  the  momentous  subject  of  God's  moral 
government  all  their  own  conjectures,  and  basing  their 
theories  on  the  abstract  perfections  they  ascribe  to  him,  they 
have  made  religion  a  mere  tissue  of  most  perplexing  myste- 
ries. Hence  their  continual  controversies,  which  involve  al- 
most every  moral  principle  about  which  the  mind  of  man 
can  be  employed,  and  even  now  seem  to  be  no  nearer  their 
termination,  than  when  they  first  commenced. 

To  me  it  appears  abundantly  clear,  that  here,  where 
Moses  commences  his  account,  in  the  heavens  and  the 
earth,  or  those  hosts  of  created  objects  of  which  the  human 
mind  can  take  cognizance,  wc  necessarily  find  our  limit. 
Beyond  these  we  cannot  go.  Any  attempt  which  may  be 
made,  is  a  mere  wasteful  expenditure  of  intellect,  and 
ends  in  fruitless  conjecture.  Doubtless  there  is  a  great 
deal  beyond  these  limits ;  but  then  it  is  impossible  for  us  to 
attain  to  that  which  has  not  been  brought  within  our  own 
mental  range.  Even  our  future  state  of  being  is  above  our 
comprehension,  and  is  so  represented  to  us  in  the  scrip- 
tures themselves.  Paul  informs  us,  that  when  he  was 
caught  up  into  the  third  heavens,  he  "heard  unspeakable 
words,  which  it  is  not  lawful  for  a  man  to  utter."*  And 
John  says,  "it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be,  but  we 

*2  Cor.  xii.  1—4. 


34  LECTURES  ON 

know  that  when  he  shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like  him,  for 
we  shall  see  him  as  he  is."*  Of  course  then,  if  we  are  not 
fitted  to  know,  to  see  or  hear,  things  which  are  unrepre- 
sented in  this  material  system  with  which  our  present  exis- 
tence is  connected,  we  must  form  our  ideas  of  God  from 
those  views  which  he  has  afforded  of  himself,  and  must 
speak  of  his  attributes  as  he  has  manifested  them.  Every 
thing  beyond  this  world  is  mystery,  i.  e.  is  a  secret  to  us. 

It  belongs  not  to  man  to  perceive  spirit  abstractly  con- 
sidered. We  cannot  perceive  or  know,  each  other's  spirit, 
excepting  as  it  is  exhibited  in  its  appropriate  form,  or  by 
some  external  act.  And  as  God  is  a  spirit, — so  said  Jesus 
to  the  Samaritan  woman,  we  cannot  know  him,  unless  he 
shall  manifest  himself  by  and  in  his  works,  or  shall  assume 
personal  form.  The  necessity,  under  which  we  are  thus 
placed,  is  found  in  the  very  constitution  of  our  nature,  and 
must  exist  so  long  as  it  shall  belong  to  us  to  acquire  our 
ideas  by  means  of  our  external  senses.  The  divinity  of 
Jesus  Christ,  to  use  popular  language,  is  not  so  irrational  a 
doctrine,  nor  is  it  so  destitute  of  evidence  to  be  derived 
from  the  nature  of  things,  and  from  the  nature  of  man,  as 
some  have  confidently  pretended.  The  real  truth  is,  that 
it  is  founded  in  the  nature  of  things,  and  in  the  nature  of 
man,  and  therefore  the  scriptures  have  taught  it.  And  those 
who  have  defended  this  doctrine,  have,  I  think,  essentially 
weakened  their  own  argument,  by  basing  it  simply  on  the 
sovereignty  of  God. 

It  is  necessary  to  pursue  this  subject  a  little  farther.  How 
can  any  man  explain  to  me  wisdom,  goodness  and  power, 
as  attributes  of  God?  Of  abstract  qualities  the  human  mind 
can  form  no  idea.  It  matters  not  whether  those  qualities 
are  predicated  of  God,  of  man,  or  of  any  creature.  The 
scriptures  certainly  occupy  this  ground  in  undertaking  to 
teach  us  of  God.  "The  heavens,"  they  say,  "declare  the 
glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament  showeth  his  handy  work. 
Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech,  and  night  unto  night  show- 
eth knowledge.  There  is  no  speech  nor  language  where 
their  voice  is  not  heard.  Their  line  is  gone  out  through  all 
the  earth,  and  their  words  to  the  end  of  the  world."!  "That 
which  may  be  known  of  God  is  manifest  in,  or  among  them, 
for  God  hath  showed  it  unto  them.  For  the  invisible  things 
of  him  from  the  creation  of  the  world  are  clearly  seen,  be- 
ing understood  by  the  things  that  are  made,  even  his  eternal 

*Uohniii.  2.  fPs.  xix.  I.  4. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  35 

power  and  godhead,  so  that  they  are  without  excuse."*  "He 
left  not  himself  without  a  witness,  in  that  he  did  good,  and 
gave  us  rain  from  heaven,  and  fruitful  seasons,  filling  our 
hearts  with  food  and  gladness."!  Take  away  these  external 
exhibitions  of  Jehovah,  in  which  he  has,  says  Paul,  mani- 
fested that  which  may  be  known  of  him,  and  what  philoso- 
pher can  give  us  any  idea  of  God,  or  explain  what  is  meant 
by  his  wisdom,  goodness  or  power?  Undoubtedly  there  may 
be  a  God,  good,  wise  and  powerful ;  and  he  may  be  known, 
loved  and  admired  by  other  intellectual  beings  differently 
constituted  from  ourselves  ;  but  we  can  have  no  perceptions 
of  him.  A  blind  man  knows  nothing  of  color — a  deaf  man 
is  utterly  ignorant  of  sound.  In  like  manner  we  must  be 
entirely  unacquainted  with  the  existence  or  character  of 
God,  unless  he  be  manifested  to  us,  and  in  a  manner  suita- 
ble to  our  nature.  No  reasonable  controvertist  will  deny  this. 
The  only  alternative  is  blank  atheism:  a  doctrine  which  the 
psalmist  tells  us,  none  but  a  fool  would  advance  ;  and  in 
maintaining  which,  any  man,  Paul  tells  us,  even  the  veriest 
heathen,  would  be  perfectly  inexcusable. 

If  the  preceding  argument  shall  be  admitted  as  con- 
clusive, then  the  principle  of  a  divine  manifestation,  i.  e.  of 
God's  manifesting  himself  to  man,  is  conceded.  The  neces- 
sity for  such  a  manifestation  is  also  traced,  and  with  equal 
clearness  and  certainty,  to  the  constitution  of  human  na- 
ture. But  if  the  principle,  so  far  as  it  has  been  carried,  or 
in  its  application  to  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  be  correct, 
then  why  may  it  not  be  equally  true,  if  its  application  should 
be  extended?  The  test  in  this  extended  application  of  the 
principle,  will  be  the  same  as  in  its  original  application  :  i. 
e.  if  the  manifestation,  which  God  made  of  himself  in  the 
heavens  and  the  earth,  be  rational  and  necessary,  consider- 
ing the  peculiarity  of  the  human  constitution,  then  a  further 
manifestation  of  him  will  be  equally  rational,  if  the  pecu- 
liarity of  human  nature  should  call  for  it.  On  this  sim- 
ple view  of  the  character  of  man,  or  of  the  necessity  arising 
from  the  constitution  of  his  nature,  must  rest  the  whole 
reason  for  the  fact,  and  the  doctrine,  of  the  divinity  of  the 
Saviour.  "Such  an  high  priest  became  us" — "in  all  things  it 
behoved  him  to  be  made  like  unto  his  brethren,  that  he  might 
be  a  merciful  and  faithful  high  priest." 

God  having  manifested  himself  to  the  human  mind,  by  the 
works  of  creation  and  providence,  and  that  manifestation 

■  Rom.  i.  19,  20.  t  Acts  xiv.  17. 


36  LECTURES  ON 

being  made  in  such  a  manner  as  is  suited  to  the  human 
mind  in  its  present  mode  of  existence,  is  there  no  necessity 
that  the  creator  should  proceed  farther?  Can  the  human 
mind  now  be  satisfied,  or  will  it  not  pursue  its  inquiries  ?  Is 
it  unnatural  or  irrational  to  seek  after  personal  intercourse,  or 
communion,  with  that  being  whose  works  have  introduced 
him  to  our  acquaintance?  Is  it  an  unphilosophic  thing  to 
suppose  that  God  would  make  such  an  arrangement,  as  to 
render  it  possible  for  the  human  mind  to  have  a  nearer  and 
more  spiritual  view  of  him  ?  If  he  should  do  so,  would  it 
not  be  very  desirable  to  us?  And  would  not  any  intellectual 
communication  which  he  might  make,  be  highly  advantage- 
ous? I  cannot  see  why  any  fair  reasoner  should  feel  any 
difficulty  in  conceding  all  that  we  have  thus  far  asked  for, 
provided,  that  this  personal  manifestation  shall  not  be  incon- 
sistent with  the  essential  principles  of  our  present  mode  of 
existence.  Our  argument  will  not  allow  us  to  plead  for  any 
display  that  shall  be  either  above,  or  contrary  to  our  na- 
ture. 

Now  how  stands  the  fact  ?  Has  not  the  human  mind  been 
employed  and  agitated  by  inquiries  about  God  ?  Has  there 
ever  been  a  nation  without  her  gods?  It  will  not  avail  to 
refer  all  this  to  priestcraft:  for  whence  was  the  priesthood 
derived?  And  when  philosophers  have  abandoned,  as  spu- 
rious and  absurd,  the  religion  of  their  fathers,  or  of  the  age 
in  which  they  lived,  have  they  been  able  to  elude  the  fact 
that  there  is  a  God,  or  the  idea  of  obligation  to  him  ?  Have 
they  not  argued,  over  and  over  again,  the  nature  of  the 
gods,  as  well  as  the  modes  and  province  of  their  operations  ? 
There  is  no  impression  more  universal  or  uniform  than 
this, — there  is  a  God  ;  nor  any  inference  more  general  or 
natural  than  this, — we  owe  him  our  homage,  and  he  ought 
to  be  worshipped. 

The  question  then  necessaiily  arises,  how  shall  we  wor- 
ship him  ?  Where  shall  we  meet  him?  In  what  form  shall 
we  address  him?  With  what  service  will  he  be  pleased? 
Must  we  bow  down  and  praise  him  in  yonder  sun,  or  moon, 
or  star?  Is  not  this  idolatry,  at  which  the  philosopher  would 
laugh,  as  well  as  the  christian  ?  Shall  we  worship  him  then 
in  the  great  temple  of  nature  ?  And  what  is  the  temple  of 
naturefbut  the  whole  assembly  of  creatures  which  God  has 
formed  ?  And  this  would  be  idolatry  on  a  larger  scale- 
would  it  not  ?  Thus  then  we  have  reached  a  point  where  the 
necessity  of  human  nature  betrays  itself,  and  where  a  far- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  37 

ther  manifestation  of  God  to  man,  becomes  indispensable. 
Withhold  it,  and  mankind  must  either  sink  into  the  grossest 
superstition,  or  be  conscious  of  an  obligation  which  they 
have  neither  ability  nor  opportunity  to  meet.  Nor  is  this 
all ;  but  turning  away  from  the  evils  of  life,  under  the  strong- 
est desires  after  glory,  honor  and  immortality,  eternity  be- 
comes a  blank,  and  they  grow  frantic  with  wild  conjec- 
ture ;  or  sinking  into  apathy,  they  die  like  the  brute.  The 
necessity  for  a  personal  manifestation  of  Jehovah  is  found 
then  in  the  constitution  of  man. 

Again  :  God  is  a  spirit,  and  man  has  a  spirit.  Here  then 
is  similitude.  Common  attributes  and  common  principles, 
throughout  nature,  lead  to  association.  Accordingly  this 
is  the  very  basis  on  which  the  scriptures  have  erected  their 
whole  moral  superstructure.  Man,  they  say,  was  made  in 
the  image  of  God,  and  the  highest  point  of  intellectual  ef- 
fort which  they  recommend  to  him,  is  to  think,  speak  and 
act  like  God.  The  God  of  the  bible,  is  the  God  of  nature, 
and  what  he  has  written  in  the  bible  he  has  inscribed  on  na- 
ture. Natural  and  revealed  religion  are  the  development  of 
the  same  essential  moral  principles.  Christian  philosophers 
yield  half  their  argument,  as  I  believe,  when  they  represent 
Christianity  as  an  original  system :  for  the  characteristics  of 
Christianity  are  in  fact,  only  the  modified  operation  of  the 
original  institute.  The  gospel  is  intended,  by  its  remedial 
agency,  to  retrieve  at  last,  when  Jesus  shall  surrender  the 
kingdom  to  his  Father,  the  disaster  which  has  been  intro- 
duced by  the  fall,  so  far  as  that  can  be  done  in  consistency 
with  the  free-agency  of  man.  This  will  be  seen  more  dis- 
tinctly hereafter. 

I  have  remarked  that  what  is  written  in  the  bible  is  in- 
scribed on  nature  ;  particularly  in  view  of  the  fact  that  man 
is  made  in  the  image  of  God.  Hence  we  find,  throughout 
the  whole  history  of  mankind,  that  men  are  like  the  gods 
whom  they  worship.  If  the  gods  be  supposed  to  be  sensu- 
al, their  worshippers  are  sensual.  If  the  gods  be  cruel,  their 
worshippers  are  cruel.  If  the  gods  be  intellectual,  their 
worshippers  are  intellectual.  Even  now,  when  men  make 
the  world  the  great  object  of  their  admiration,  they  become 
like  it.  When  they  contemplate  the  spirituality  of  the  re- 
deemer's character  and  government,  they  become  spiritual: 
beholding  his  glory  they  are  changed  into  his  image.  The 
denominations  of  christians  who  view  God  in  all  the  benev- 
olence which  he  has  written  in  the  scriptures,  or  carried  out 
4 


38  LECTURES  ON 

in  his  providence,  are  observed  to  imbibe  like  views ;  while 
those  who  think  him  harsh  or  always  mysterious,  go  down  to 
the  grave,  unreconciled  in  their  feelings,  and  doubtful  as 
to  their  destiny.  Throughout  their  entire  life  the  doctrines 
of  Christianity,  and  even  the  common  virtues  of  the  chris- 
tian character,  are  inscrutable  mysteries.  This  is  human  na- 
ture. It  cannot  be  otherwise.  The  brightest,  the  holiest, 
the  most  philosophical  idea  which  the  human  mind  can 
form,  is  that  of  resembling  God. 

Nor  is  this  all.  Association  among  human  beings  is 
founded  on  the  same  principle.  The  child  imitates  his  pa- 
rent, and  grows  like  him.  The  servant  imitates  his  master, 
and  grows  like  him.  The  pupil  imitates  his  preceptor,  and 
grows  like  him.  The  soldier  imitates  his  commander, 
and  grows  like  him.  The  subject  imitates  his  prince,  and 
grows  like  him.  Whatever  character  a  man  knows  to  be 
above  or  superior  to  his  own.  and  which  he  at  the  same  time 
admires  and  loves,  he  will  not  fail  to  resemble  ;  and  that 
just  so  far  as  he  contemplates  it.  That  God  should  present 
himself  within  the  range  of  human  observation,  and  in  the 
form  best  calculated  to  attract  our  notice  and  excite  our  ad- 
miration, is  the  certain  and  only  effectual  method  of  either 
elevating  man  when  innocent,  or  restoring  him  when  fallen. 
I  repeat  it:  this  is  human  nature — both  its  philosophy  and 
its  religion.  God  manifested  in  personal  form,  instead  of 
being  an  irrational  view  of  the  divine  operations,  is  one  of  the 
most  rational  in  the  whole  range  of  morals.  The  doctrine  of 
Christ's  divinity  is  founded  in  human  nature,  while  the  ex- 
hibition of  his  mediatorial  character  is  the  purest  display  of 
every  moral  excellence,  which  it  is  desirable  for  man  to  pos- 
sess, and  is  exactly  suited  to  our  present  state  of  sin  and  suf- 
fering. He  who  is  like  Christ,  is  a  holy,  dignified,  heavenly, 
happy  man. 

In  this  manner,  mankind  have  always  estimated  the  sub- 
ject of  God.  They  have  uniformly  recognised  the  necessi- 
ty for  an  image,  from  which  they  could  derive  becoming 
ideas  of  the  personal  perfections  of  their  creator.  Moses 
speaks  with  great  frequency  and  familiarity  of  the  divine 
appearances,  and  severely  censures  the  image  worship  into 
which  the  nations  around  him  had  declined.  All  the  heathen 
have  preserved  these  early  errors  ;  and  Paul,  in  his  day,  con- 
demns them,  not  on  account  of  the  general  mediatorial 
principle  in  which  they  confided,  but  because  they  changed 
the  glory  or  similitude — for  glory  is  manifested  excellence — of 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  39 

the  incorruptible  God,  into  an  image  made  like  to  corrupti- 
ble man,  &c.  The  apostles  have  unequivocally  represent- 
ed Christ  as  the  image  of  the  invisible  God.  The  later 
errorists  have  gone  a  great  deal  farther,  and,  rushing  into  a 
wretched  extreme,  have  disgusted  the  intelligent,  and 
abused  the  ignorant,  by  filling  their  churches  with  pictures 
and  images.  The  sceptical  philosopher  himself,  has  ex- 
pended all  his  vigor  in  his  researches  after  some  intelligible 
idea  of  God,  and  is  lost  in  the  immensity  of  an  inconceiva- 
ble abstraction. 

Having  then  shown,  as  I  believe,  the  impossibility  that 
mankind  should  form  any  accurate  or  satisfactory  idea  of 
Jehovah  abstractly  considered;  that  the  constitution  of  hu- 
man nature  renders  a. personal  manifestation  of  God  indis- 
pensably necessary;  that  theologians,  in  attempting  to  lead 
us  beyond  the  exhibition  which  God  has  made  of  himself, 
have  done  nothing  but  entertain  us  with  their  conjectures, 
and  confound  us  with  their  mysteries  ;  and'  that  of  course, 
when  the  proposition  introduced  by  Moses,  "in  the  begin- 
ning God  made  the  heavens  and  the  earth,"  is  considered  as 
the  starting  point  for  such  unprofitable  speculations,  he 
must  be  entirely  misunderstood;  let  us  proceed  to  inquire 
more  particularly  what  the  sacred  historian  does  mean. 

If  we  now  turn  to  the  original  hebrew  text,  we  shall  find 
that  a  literal  translation  would  very  materially  change  the 
declaration,  at  present  under  discussion.  We  should  then 
have  the  following  proposition: — "In  the  beginning  the 
elohim  made  the  heavens  and  the  earth."  The  term  Elo- 
him  is  in  the  plural  number;  so  that  plurality  is  thus  predi- 
cated of  the  creator.  How?  In  what  sense?  The  inquiry 
is  important,  if  for  no  other  reason,  yet  because  it  will  lead 
us  away  from  those  metaphysical  abstractions,  in  which  the- 
ologians and  philosophers  have  so  freely  indulged,  when 
speaking  or  writing  of  our  general  subject. 

That  the  proposition,  which  is  now  offered,  may  be  dis- 
tinctly apprehended  by  those  who  have  no  acquaintance 
with  the  hebrew  language,  let  it  be  observed,  that  the  ori- 
ginal word  which  has  been  merely  anglicised,  has  been  fre- 
quently rendered  gods,  by  our  translators.  Thus:  "God 
doth  know,  that  in  the  day  ye  eat  thereof,  then  your  eyes 
shall  be  opened,  and  ye  shall  be  as  gods,  Elohim,  knowing 
good  and  evil."*  "All  the  gods,  Elohim,  of  the  nations  are 
idols."!     Suppose  then,  for  the  sake  of  illustration,  and  let 

*Gen,  iii.  5.  f  1  Chron.  xvi.  26.     Ps.  xcvi.  5. 


40  LECTURES  ON 

it  be  remembered  that  I  make  the  supposition  merely  for 
the  sake  of  illustration,  suppose  that  our  present  text  should 
be  rendered  thus  : — "In  the  beginning  the  gods  made  the 
heavens  and  the  earth."  Would  not  this  translation  very 
materially  affect  the  character  of  the  mosaic  proposition  ? 

The  subject  then  which  we  have  now  to  investigate,  is 
this: — what  does  Moses  mean,  what  do  the  whole  scriptures 
mean,  by  the  elohim  ?  For  it  is  evident,  that  unless  our 
views  of  God  be  of  that  kind,  that  they  can  be  consistently 
expressed  by  a  plural  noun,  they  are  not  scriptural.  Our 
inquiry  is  manifestly  of  paramount  importance,  and  we  must 
pursue  it  very  carefully  and  deliberately. 

But  in  the  outset  of  our  investigations,  we  shall  be  met 
by  the  remark,  that  the  peculiar  manner  in  which  Moses 
speaks  of  God,  has  been  often  observed  before  ;  and  that  the 
fact  has  been  as  often  confidently  urged  as  a  strong  argument 
in  favor  of  the  doctrine  of  a  divine  trinity.  This  plea  is 
not  to  be  denied.  But  then  the  question  starts  up  before 
us,  what  do  theologians  mean  by  trinity  ?  The  word  is  not 
scriptural.  None  of  the  prophets,  none  of  the  apostles,  have 
used  it.  It  is  not  to  be  found,  even  in  the  apocryphal 
books.  What  then  shall  we  understand  by  the  term,  or 
what  is  the  doctrine  which  it  is  intended  to  express. 

Have  not  our  theologians,  in  using  the  fact  to  which  we 
are  now  adverting,  doubly  perplexed  moral  science?  Have 
they  not,  instead  of  leaving  us  to  the  contemplation  of  one 
inconceivable  abstraction,  absolutely  given  us  three  abstrac- 
tions ?  Have  they  not  taught  us  that  there  are  three  omnis- 
cient, omnipresent,  omnipotent  persons?  And  yet  have 
they  not  resolutely  maintained  that  there  is  but  one  God? 
Now  we  are  compelled  again  to  inquire,  what  is  meant  by 
the  term  person  ?  Like  trinity,  it  is  not  a  scriptural  word,  ex- 
cepting that  our  translators  have  so  rendered  a  greek  term, 
occurring  in  the  epistle  to  the  hebrews,  *  which  same  term, 
they  themselves  have  rendered  differently,  and  in  the  same 
epistle.t  But  our  translators,  it  is  to  be  remembered,  were 
advocates  of  this  doctrine,  that  there  are  three  persons  in  the 
godhead,  and  they  have  attached  to  the  term  the  meaning 
which  was  ascribed  to  it  after  the  council  of  Nice. 

The  question  returns  upon  us,  what  do  theologians  mean 
by  the  word  person  ?  They  do  not  mean  to  say,  that  there 
are  three  distinct  beings,  for  that  would  make  three  Gods. 
Neither  do  they  use  the  term,  as  it  is  employed,  when  we 

*ch.  i.  3.  |ch.  xi.  t. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  41 

speak  of  a.  man;  for  that  would  make  three  distinct  beings, 
and  of  course  three  Gods.  But  they  find  personal  attributes 
and  operations  ascribed  in  the  scriptures  to  the  Father;  in 
like  manner  they  find  them  ascribed  to  the  Son  and  to  the 
Holy  Ghost ;  and  hence  they  infer,  that  there  is  a  distinction 
in  the  divine  essence:  which  distinction  they  cannot  ex- 
press by  any  better  term  than  person,  while  yet  they  pro- 
fess to  have  no  clear  or  well  defined  idea  of  its  import;  and 
having  thus  expressed  their  doctrine,  in  woids  which  they 
acknowledge  themselves  unable  to  explain,  they  give  up  the 
whole  matter  as  an  incomprehensible  mystery. 

One  of  their  late  writers  has  thus  expressed  himself  on 
this  subject :  "Of  the  precise  import  of  the  term  personality, 
as  applied  to  a  distinction  in  the  divine  essence,  or  of  the 
peculiar  nature  and  mode  of  that  distinction,  I  shall  not 
presume  to  attempt  conveying  to  your  minds,  any  clear  con- 
ception. I  cannot  impart  to  you  what  I  do  not  possess  my- 
self;— and  convinced  as  I  am,  that  such  conception  cannot  be 
attained  by  any,  it  had  been  well,  I  think,  if  such  attempts 
at  explanation  by  comparisons  from  nature  and  otherwise, 
had  never  been  made.  They  have  afforded  to  the  enemies 
of  the  doctrine,  much  unnecessary  occasion  for  burlesque 
and  blasphemy."*  Even  Augustin  himself,  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  of  the  latin  fathers,  and  who  took  a  very  ac- 
tive part  in  the  discussions  on  this  subject,  which  belonged 
to  his  age,  considered  the  phrase  three  persons,  not  as  be- 
ing precisely  accurate,  but  merely  preferable  to  silence.  He 
viewed  the  subject  as  above  human  comprehension,  and 
therefore  did  not  know  how  to  speak  about  it.  Thus  it  is 
estimated  at  the  present  day:  and  those  who  are  not  satis- 
fied with  the  representations  which  are  made,  are  afraid  to 
touch  it,  or  find  a  very  convenient  escape  under  the  gen- 
eral impression,  that  the  whole  matter  is  an  inscrutable  mys- 
tery. 

I  know  of  no  ecclesiastical  matter,  whose  history  exhibits 
more  distracting  anxieties  among  divines,  or  more  of  that 
kind  of  speculation,  which  men  pursue  under  the  guidance  of 
false  philosophy  while  the  scriptures  themselves  are  forgot- 
ten, than  this  very  controversy  about  the  trinity.  I  have  time 
to  state  but  a  few  general  facts. 

This  controversy  appears  to  have  followed  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  grecian  philosophy  into  the  church,  in  the  se~ 
cond  century;  and  though  various  heresies  were  started,  yet 

*Wardlaw's  Discourses,  pp.  10,  11. 
4* 


42  LECTURES  OX 

the  christian  doctors  in  general,  down  to  the  fourth  cen- 
tury, appear  to  have  "entertained  different  sentiments  upon 
the  subject"'  of  godhead,  "without  giving  the  least  offence  ; 
and  discoursed  variously  concerning  the  distinctions  be- 
tween Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  each  one  following 
his  respective  opinion  with  the  utmost  liberty.'' 

In  the  third  century,  Noetus  of  Smyrna,  '"'an  obscure 
man,''  taught  that  the  supreme  God  united  himself  to  the 
man  Christ,  and  was  born  and  crucified  with  him.  He  and 
his  followers  were  hence  called  patripassians,  as  they  main- 
tained that  the  Father  of  the  universe  died  for  the  sins  of 
men.  Their  idea  does  not  appear  to  have  been  entirely 
thrown  out  of  the  church  to  this  day,  for  we  often  hear  of  a 
suffering,  expiring,  rising  God. 

About  the  middle  of  the  same  century,  Sabellius  appear- 
ed, and  maintained  that  "a  certain  energy  only,  proceeding 
from  the  supreme  parent,  or  a  certain  portion  of  the  divine 
nature,  was  united  to  the  Son  of  God,  the  man  Jesus;  and 
he  considered,  in  the  same  manner,  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  a 
portion  of  the  everlasting  Father." 

While  the  doctrine  of  Sabellius  was  frequently  con- 
demned, the  church,  so  far  as  any  general  facts  can  be  stated, 
appears  to  have  been  divided  in  sentiment,  even  when  a  for- 
mal decision  was  attempted.  In  the  east  the  trinity  was  ex- 
plained as  being  one  essence  and  three  substances :  and  in  the 
west  as  one  substance  and  three  persons. 

At  last  a  crisis  occurred.  Alexander,  bishop  of  Alexan- 
dria, "on  a  certain  time,  in  presence  of  the  priests  that 
were  under  him,  and  the  rest  of  the  clergy,"  as  Socrates  in- 
forms us,  began  to  discourse  somewhat  "more  curiously  of 
the  holy  trinity  and  the  unity  to  be  in  the  trinity.  Arius 
then  being  one  of  the  priests  placed  in  order  under  him,  a 
man  very  skilful  in  the  subtleties  of  sophistical  logic,  sus- 
pecting the  bishop  to  have  brought  into  the  church  the  er- 
roneous doctrine  of  Sabellius  the  africk,  and  being  kindled 
with  the  desire  of  contention,  set  himself  opposite  against 
the  opinions  of  Sabellius  the  africk,  and  as  it  seemed  di- 
rectly against  the  allegations  of  the  bishop."  Then  an  ec- 
clesiastical war  was  commenced;  the  whole  church  was 
thrown  into  fearful  commotion;  council  after  council  was 
called;  the  civil  arm  was  employed;  creed  after  creed  was 
framed ;  and  from  that  day  to  this,  we  have  the  doctrine  of 
the  three  persons  on  the  one  hand,  or  that  of  Arius  and  its 
consequences,  on  the  other.   So  then  on  both  sides,  the  con- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  43 

trovertists  trace  their  origin  to  the  fourth  century,  and  their 
unceasing  strife  is  as  fair  a  comment  as  could  be  desired,  on 
the  value  of  creeds  and  confessions  of  faith.  In  this  review, 
unitarianism  can  boast  but  little;  for  the  most  part  she  is 
shorn  even  of  the  little  glory  that  Arius  left  her. 

It  is  really  painful  to  read  the  account,  given  of  those 
times  by  Hilary,  who  was  perfectly  familiar  with  their  con- 
tentions, and  whose  authority  is  not  to  be  disputed.  Thus 
he  writes — "It  is  a  thing  equally  deplorable  and  dangerous, 
that  there  are  as  many  creeds  as  there  are  opinions  among 
men  ;  as  many  doctrines  as  inclinations  ;  and  as  many  sour- 
ces of  blasphemy  as  there  are  faults  among  us  ;   because  we 

MAKE  CREEDS  ARBITRARILY,  AND  EXPLAIN  THEM  AS  ARBITRA- 
RILY. And  as  there  is  but  one  faith,  so  there  is  but  one 
only  God,  one  Lord,  and  one  baptism.  We  renounce  this 
one  faith,  when  we  make  so  many  different  creeds ;  and  that 
diversity  is  the  reason  why  we  have  no  true  faith  among  us. 

We     CANNOT     BE     IGNORANT,    THAT     SINCE    THE    COUNCIL    OF 

Nice,  we  have  done  nothing  but  make  creeds.  And 
while  we  fight  against  words,  litigate  about  new  questions, 
dispute  about  equivocal  terms,  complain  of  authors,  that 
every  one  may  make  his  own  party  triumph;  while  we  can- 
not agree,  while  we  anathemalize  one  another,  there  is 
hardly  one  that  adheres  to  Jesus  Christ.  What  change 
was  there  not  in  the  creed  last  year !  The  first  council  or- 
dained a  silence  upon  the  homoousion ;  the  second  estab- 
lished it,  and  would  have  us  speak;  the  third  excuses  the 
fathers  of  the  council,  and  pretends  they  took  the  word 
ousia  simply:  the  fourth  condemns  them,  instead  of  excus- 
ing them.  With  respect  to  the  likeness  of  the  Son  of  God 
to  the  Father,  which  is  the  faith  of  our  deplorable  times,  they 
dispute  whether  he  is  like  in  whole  or  in  part.  These  are 
rare  folks  to  unravel  the  secrets  of  heaven.  Nevertheless 
it  is  for  these  creeds,  about  invisible  mysteries,  that  we  ca- 
lumniate one  another,  and  for  our  belief  in  God.  We  make 
creeds  every  year;  nay  every  moon  we  repent  of  what  we 
have  done,  we  defend  those  that  repent,  we  anathematize 
those  that  we  defended.  So  we  condemn  either  the  doc- 
trine of  others,  in  ourselves,  or  our  own  in  that  of  others  ; 
and  reciprocally  tearing  one  another  to  pieces,  we  have  been 
the  cause  of  each  other's  ruin."  Such  is  Hilary's  account 
of  those  deplorable  times,  whence  the  contending  parties 
on  the  subject  of  trinity  derive  their  doctrines;  and  of  those 
mighty  men,  after  whose  failure  to  explain  this  abstruse  mat- 


44  LECTURES  ON 

ter,  no  man  can  ever  be  supposed  to  have  either  mind  or 
grace  enough  to  succeed. 

I  object  then  to  the  popular  doctrine  on  this  subject,  be- 
cause the  terms  in  which  it  is  expressed  are  not  scriptural  : 
because  they  came  into  the  church  long  after  the  apostles 
had  gone  to  their  rest,  and  are  the  technicalities  of  a  most 
degenerate  and  contentious  age ;  because  they  required 
more  synodical  force  and  civil  authority  to  bring  them  into 
the  church,  than  can  now  be  obtained  to  keep  them  there  ; 
because  no  man  can  even  pretend  to  explain  them;  because 
they  never  have  done  any  thing  but  engender  strife,  and  pre- 
vent the  lover  of  the  Son  of  God  from  understanding  his 
gospel;  and  because  we  are  explicitly  commanded  to  speak 
the  things  which  "are  freely  given  to  us  of  God,  not  in  the 
words  which  man's  wisdom  teacheth,  but  which  the  Holy 
Ghost  teacheth,  comparing  spiritual  things  with  spiritual."* 

Objecting  to  these  terms  and  phrases,  for  the  reasons  which 
have  been  stated,  I  propose  to  throw  them  all  aside,  and  to 
examine  the  scriptures,  on  this  subject,  for  myself.  Can 
any  of  my  brethren  condemn  my  purpose  ?  Why  should  I 
not  see  truth  with  my  own  eyes?  Will  God  refuse  to  give 
grace  and  wisdom  to  a  man,  who  honestly  intends  to  "search 
the  scriptures"  for  himself?  Or  is  it  impossible  for  a  pray- 
erful student  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  God  from  the  bible, 
when  God  is  revealed  in  the  bible  ?  I  apprehend  that  there 
must  be  some  mistake  about  this  matter;  and  that  the  idea 
of  an  inscrutable  mystery  has  alarmed  us  all,  by  a  great  deal 
too  much.  Is  it  not  a  humiliating  thing  that  we  should  be 
speaking  of  God  in  unintelligible  language,  and  when  we 
see  so  many  driven  from  the  altars  of  our  master  by  this 
very  fact  ?  Brethren,  I  must  examine  this  subject,  if  in  the 
end  I  fail.  But  I  address  myself  to  the  task  with  a  manly, 
yet  humble,  confidence,  that  I  shall  not  be  disappointed. 

The  question  returns  upon  us — what  does  Moses  mean 
by  the  Elohim  ?  Let  us  carefully  and  patiently  pursue  this 
inquiry. 

In  the  progress  of  ages,  terms  not  unfrequently  change 
their  import  entirely;  and  even  when  they  do  not,  yet  their 
illustration  may  be  very  much  modified  by  a  new  combina- 
tion of  circumstances  to  which  they  may  be  applied.  It  is 
therefore  one  of  the  best  methods  of  ascertaining  the  force 
of  any  term,  which  a  writer  may  use  in  any  particular  age,  to 
consider  whether  that  term  had  any  special  import  or  refer- 

*1  Cor.  ii.  12,  13. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  45 

ence  in  the  age  in  which  he  lived.  Moses  appears  in  his 
official  character  and  relations,  in  writing  this  history.  We 
find  him  as  the  great  old  testament  apostle,  commissioned 
to  establish  the  Jewish  commonwealth  ;  a  measure,  on  which 
Jehovah  had  resolved  for  particular  reasons.  The  object  for 
which  he  wrote,  may  throw  a  great  deal  of  light  on  the  terms 
he  employs.  And  as  he  thought  a  brief  history  of  the  pre- 
ceding state  of  the  world  to  be  necessary  to  accomplish  the 
end  he  had  in  view,  perhaps  the  general  facts  which  he  re- 
cords may  be  equally  relevant,  in  our  present  researches. 

By  referring  to  his  account,  we  find  that  Cain  and  Abel, 
a  few  years  after  the  fall,  are  introduced  to  our  notice. 
Cain  is  represented  as  being  exceedingly  offended — perhaps 
because,  for  some  misconduct,  he  had  been  despoiled  of  his 
birthright,  and  disrobed  of  his  official  honors,  as  his  father's 
successor.  The  scriptural  facts  and  comments  certainly 
place  the  character  of  Abel  in  bold  relief,  and  show  that 
Cain  was  a  dishonored,  and  a  dishonorable,  man.  He  resents 
the  affront  by  murdering  his  brother,  and  finally  departs  from 
the  presence  of  the  Lord,  to  dwell  in  the  land  of  Nod.  His 
going  out  from  the  prestnce  of  the  Lord,  is  a  very  peculiar 
phrase,  and  imports,  as  might  be  readily  shown,  his  aban- 
donment of  the  ecclesiastical  establishment  which  God  had 
erected,  when  he  placed  the  cherubim  of  glory  in  a  taberna- 
cle, at  the  east  end  of  the  garden  of  Eden.  The  service 
required  by  the  law  of  this  mediatorial  dispensation,  it  is 
very  evident  from  the  story,  he  had  first  despised  or  corrupt- 
ed. His  departure  to  the  land  of  Nod,  was  then  a  virtual, 
if  not  a  malignant,  rejection  of  the  ritual  which  had  been 
given  to  his  father.  In  other  words,  he  denied  the  doctrine, 
and  disowned  his  allegiance  to  the  authority,  of  the  media- 
tor. After  Abel's  muider,  and  Cain's  apostacy,  Seth  be- 
comes his  father's  official  heir.  From  him  proceeds  a  race 
of  official  men,  known  in  the  history,  as  the  sons  of  God. 
These  sons  of  God,  in  process  of  time,  so  far  lose  their  in- 
tegrity as  to  marry  the  daughters  of  men,  or  the  daughters 
of  Cain.  The  result  was  official  infidelity,  and  most  lament- 
able degeneracy.  At  last  Noah  stands  alone  as  officially 
righteous;  and  Jehovah,  entering  into  covenant  with  him, 
brings  the  flood  upon  the  earth.  The  crime  of  the  antedi- 
luvian age  appears,  then,  to  have  been  the  rejection  of  the 
mediator, — it  was  infidelity. 

The  mediatorial  constitution  was  renewed  in  Noah,  and 
a  further  promise  was  given  that  the  Lord  would  not  again 


46  LECTURES  ON 

curse  the  ground  any  more  for  man's  sake.  But  then  man- 
kind corrupted  their  way  a  second  time  before  the  Lord  :  and 
though  their  crime  was  not  precisely  the  same  with  the  an- 
tediluvian rebellion,  yet  it  was  so  fearful  in  its  character, 
and  so  degrading  and  desolating  in  its  consequences,  that 
something  must  be  done,  or  truth  would  be  driven  from  the 
earth.  They  did  not  deny,  but  they  corrupted  the  mediato- 
rial institute.  They  changed  the  glory  of  the  incorruptible 
God  into  an  image  made  like  unto  corruptible  man.  They 
did  not  sink  into  sheer  infidelity,  but  they  declined  into 
idolatry.  And  it  was,  in  order  to  counteract  this  state  of 
things,  or  to  preserve  the  knowledge  of  God  as  revealed  in 
the  mediator,  that.  Jehovah  entered  upon  that  new  and 
peculiar  course  of  legislation,  which  is  called,  in  the  scrip- 
tures, the  mystery  of  his  will :  and  which  commenced  with 
the  call  of  Abraham  from  the  midst  of  his  idolatrous  family. 
To  carry  out  this  general  benevolent  purpose,  his  descend- 
ants were  first  elected,  as  the  gentiles  were  afterwards.  It 
is  in  this  very  connexion  that  Moses  receives  his  com- 
mission. He  was  sent  to  bring  the  children  of  Abraham 
from  Egypt,  and  to  conduct  them  to  their  official  station  in 
the  land  of  Canaan,  as  the  elect  of  the  Lord.  Of  course  then, 
it  was  the  specific  object  for  which  Moses  was  consecrated, 
and  the  nation  was  chosen,  to  proclaim  the  knowledge  of 
the  true  God,  in  opposition  to  the  polytheism  into  which  the 
world  had  fallen.  "The  law  was  added  because  of  corrup- 
tion .-. 

There  is  not  the  least  indistinctness  in  the  conclusion  we 
have  reached.  Moses  never  loses  sight  of  his  object,  but 
most  solemnly  and  emphatically  charges  the  people  respect- 
ing it. — 'Hear,  O  Israel.  Jehovah,  our  elohim,  is  one  Je- 
hovah."! In  this  connexion  then,  we  must  consider  and 
explain  the  term,  after  whose  scriptural  import  we  are  in- 
quiring. 

Observe,  Moses  says — our  elohim!  Were  there  any 
other  elohim1.  Yes:  many,  very  many.  The  gods  of  the 
heathen,  which  were  innumerable,  were  called  elohim  : — "all 
the  elohim  of  the  nations,"  says  the  psalmist,  "are  idols." 
And  this  is  the  contrast  which  Closes  would  present; — "Je- 
hovah, our  elohim  is  one  Jehovah,"  or  God:  the  elohim  of 
the  nations  are  many  gods. 

But  more  than  this  :  the  nations  imagined  that  there  was 
"a  great  universal  father,  himself  one  and  many,"  and  that 

•Gal.  iii.  19.  fDuet.  vi.  4. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  47 

from  him  "a  divine  emanation  proceeded;  who,  assuming 
the  form  of  a  man,  has  descended  from  heaven  for  the  pur- 
pose of  reforming  and  instructing  and  reconciling  the  hu- 
man race.  Nor,  according  to  the  speculations  of  the  gen- 
tiles, has  this  descent  been  accomplished  once  only  :  on  the 
contrary  it  has  often  been  accomplished,  and  at  each  de- 
scent, the  emanation  is  in  some  sort  esteemed  a  new  per- 
son, and  is  distinguished  by  a  new  title.  This  is  paganism 
as  explained  and  received  throughout  the  east;  and  to  this 
day  prevails  among  the  Hindoos."*  Thus  then  elohim, 
among  these  idolaters,  included  many  gods,  and  many  ema- 
nations, descending  in  the  form  of  man,  for  mediatorial 
purposes:  but  our  elohim,  says  Moses,  is  only  one  God. 

Why  then  did  Moses  use  the  term  elohim  at  all  ?     Would 
it  not,  instead  of  counteracting  idolatry,  rather  countenance 
and  perpetuate  it  ?     Or  does  he  intend  to  convey  the  idea 
of  a  divine  emanation,  proceeding  from  heaven,  and  assum- 
ing the  form  of  a  man,  for  mediatorial  purposes?     Or  if  the 
term  emanation    is  altogether  unscriptural,  and  entirely  dis- 
proportioned  to  the  magnitude  of  the  subject,  did  he  design 
to  teach  any  analogous  doctrine  ?     It  evidently  appears,  that 
the  idea  of" plurality,  in  some  form  or  other,  is  to  be  predica- 
ted of  God,  or  the  word  could  not  have  any  other  than  an 
injurious  tendency  ;  as  all  the  idolatrous  nations  most  abun- 
dantly testify,  by  the  use  they  have  made  of  it.     Could  Mo- 
ses then  jeopard  so  carelessly  the  character  of  the   dispen- 
sation   he    was    commissioned    to    introduce  ?     While    he 
was  professedly  condemning  polytheism,  could  he  so  incon- 
siderately establish  it  among  his  own  people  ?  Or  was  it  im- 
possible for  him  to  impart  the   knowledge  of  the  true  God, 
and  give  a  detailed  account  of  the  works  of  Jehovah,  with- 
out making  this  representation  ?     Is  it  then  necessarily  true, 
that  there   has  been  an  emanation  from  Jehovah,  or  some- 
thing analagous  to  it,   appearing  among  men,   and  in  the 
form  of  man  !     I  see  not   how  an  affirmative  answer  can  be 
avoided.     On  the  contrary,  if  we  proceed  with  Moses,  in 
his  history,  we  shall  find  that  he  actually,  unequivocally,  and 
more  than  once,  states  the  fact,  that  God  did  appear  in  the 
likeness  of  man.     Read  the  short  sketches  he  has  given  of 
Abraham's  life  and  of  Jacob's  life.!    There  is  no  escape  from 
a  testimony,  which  is  so  clear  and  explicit.     And  if  there 
can  be  no  escape,  then  in  the  fact  of  a  divine  manifestation 

*Faber's,  Three  Dis.  vol.  2,  p.  395. 
t  Gen.  xviii.  1—33  ;  xxxii.  24—32. 


48  LECTURES  ON 

unto  men,  we  have  the  reason  for  the  use  of  the  plural  noun 
elohim,  and  its  various  adjuncts.  From  the  nature  of  the 
case,  this  ancient  apostle  could  not  speak  in  any  other  way ; 
and  the  doctrine,  which  the  phraseology  implies,  was  indis- 
pensably necessary,  both  to  correct  the  aberrations  into 
which  idolaters  had  fallen,  and  to  announce  to  mankind  the 

ONE   JEHOVAH. 

The  foregoing  argument  may  be  illustrated  and  confirm- 
ed, if  we  call  up  a  similar  representation  made  by  the  apos- 
tle Paul,  in  his  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians.  Like  Moses, 
he  had  occasion  to  condemn  the  idolatry  around  him,  and 
to  oppose  to  it  the'  revelation  of  the  true  God  which  had 
been  made.  In  arguing  on  the  propriety  of  eating  meat, 
offered  in  sacrifice  to  idols,  he  remarks:  "There  be  gods 
many,  and  lords  many  :  But  to  us  there  is  but  one  God,  the 
Father,  of  whom  are  all  things,  and  we  in  him  ;  and  one  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  by  whom  are  all  things,  and  we  by  him. "#  As 
though  he  had  said, — "The  heathen  have  many  gods;  and 
many  lords,  proceeding  from  them  in  the  likeness  of  men  ; 
but  we  have  only  one  God,  and  one  Lord  proceeding  from 
him — thk  lord  from  heaven,  in  the  likeness  of  man. "t  Is 
this  not  the  plain  and  evident  meaning  of  what  he  has  said  ? 

It  might,  in  reading  this  passage  hastily,  or  for  sectarian 
purposes,  be  imagined  that  the  apostle  had  no  intention  to 
represent  Jesus  Christ  as  any  thing  more  than  a  mere  man. 
But  where  would  then  be  the  point  of  the  contrast?  The 
heathen  did  not  think  their  lords  to  be  mere  men,  but  con- 
sidered them  to  be  emanations  from  the  gods  ;  which,  having 
accomplished  the  object  of  their  descent,  returned  and  were 
reabsorbed  in  deity.  This  is  the  doctrine  which  Paul  was 
opposing.  What  then  would  an  ingenuous  heathen  under- 
stand him  to  mean  by  the  one  Lord  Jesus,  but  one  emana- 
tion from  the  one  God,  and  the  only  one  that  could  be  ac- 
knowledged ?  Here  then  we  have  Moses  and  Paul  in  the 
same  attitude.  Though  they  lived  in  very  different  ages, 
and  were  official  men  under  very  different  dispensations, 
yet  they  state  precisely  the  same  moral  problem.  Moses 
sayS — "Jehovah  our  elohim  is  one  Jehovah,"  and  records 
the  fact  of  his  appearing  in  the  likeness  of  a  man  :  and  Paul 
sayS — "We  have  one  God,,  even  the  Father,  and  one  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,"  who  did  appear  in  the  fashion  of  man,  and 
denominates  him  the  lord  from  heaven  ;  and  all  this  too 
in  an  argument  against  idolatry.     Evidently  this  Lord  of 

*  Ch.  viii.  5,  6.  1 1  Cor.  xv.  47. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  49 

whom  Paul  speaks,  belongs  to  the  elohim  of  which  Moses 
speaks  ;   and  in  both  cases  there  is  but  one  jehovah  : — one 
god,  of  whom  are  all  things,  the  heavens  and  earth  and  all 
their  host,  and  we  in  him  ;   and  one  lord,  by  whom  are  all 
things,  the  heavens  and  earth  and  all  their  host,  and  we  by 
him.     The  two  inspired  writers  give  us  the  very  same  ideas. 
Our  discussion  then,  conducted  thus  far,  has  enabled  us 
distinctly  to    perceive  that  the  scriptural  representation  of 
Jehovah,    offers    to    our   consideration    one   God   and  one 
Lord.     Such  has  been  the  biblical  fact  from  the  beginning; 
and  such  it  is  now  ; — equally  characteristic  of  creation  and 
redemption.     Would  it  not  be  difficult,  nay  impossible,  to 
express  the  whole  of  this  fact,  without  plural  nouns,  pro- 
nouns, verbs  and  adjectives?     Is  there  any  alternative,  ex- 
cept it  shall  be  to  employ  more  nouns  than  one,  and  say, 
God  and  Lord,  or  Jehovah  and  Word  or  Voice?   Such  is  in 
truth  the  proper  use  of  the  plural  form  of  a  word  ;  it  saves 
repetition,  and  would  never  be  more  commonly  employed, 
than  in  an  infantile  state  of  society  and  of   language,  when 
words  could  not  be  very  numerous,  and  distinctions  could 
not  be  very  minute. 

But  when  the  fact  is  thus  ascertained,  that  the  scriptures 
speak  so  freely  of  God  and  Lord,  and  when  the  necessity  for 
plural  words  so  immediately  follows,  what  inference  shall 
we  draw?  Are  there  then  two  Gods  equal  to  each  other; 
or  one  supreme  God,  and  another  subordinate  God  ?  By  no 
means,  all  the  inspired  writers  would  reply.  There  is  no 
truth  about  wiiich  they  are  more  positive,  than  that  there  is 
but  one  God  ;  nor  any  in  which  reason  would  more  prompt- 
ly or  entirely  sustain  them.  Polytheism  too,  as  it  has  exist- 
ed in  the  world,  has  ever  given  the  rein  to  the  most  licen- 
tious fancy,  degraded  the  individual  character,  and  desolated 
the  social  joys,  of  man.  It  has  been  the  very  desecration  of 
the  human  spirit,  in  the  temple  where  Jehovah  has  called  it 
to  minister  to  his  glory. 

But  what  shall  we  do  with  this  scriptural  exhibition  of 
our  creator?  Can  any  doctrine  of  trinity  be  more  perplex- 
ing than  this  duality  which  is  thus  demonstrably  asserted 
in  the  bible  ?  God,  Word,  and  Spirit,  are  not  more  embar 
rassing  to  the  philosophic  moralist,  in  view  of  the  unity  of 
God,  than  God  and  Word,  or  Father  and  Son,  are  :  nor  would 
it  be  more  easy  to  explain  the  one  form  of  expression  than 
the  other,  on  any  received  hypothesis.     To  say  that  there 

5 


50  LECTURES  ON 

are  two  persons  in  one  case,  or  three  persons  in  the  other,  is 
only  to  change  the  terms  and  keep  the  difficulty. 

Let  it  be  remembered,  that  in  human  nature  itself  there  is 
a  necessity  for  a  manifestation  of  Jehovah  in  personal  form, 
if  the  preceding  argument  be  at  all  accurate  or  conclusive. 
If  man  cannot  perceive  spirit,  abstractedly  considered,  and 
if  God  be,  in  and  of  himself,  a  spirit,  then  either  God  must 
manifest  himself  to  us,  or  we  must  remain  entirely  ignorant 
of  him.  Suppose  then  that  Jehovah  should  manifest  him- 
self in  personal  form,  according  to  the  condition  of  our  na- 
ture, would  we  not  speak  of  him  as  God,  and  God  manifest- 
ed! In  this  second  view,  would  there  be  any  impropriety 
in  the  application  of  a  term,  or  a  title,  which  would  express 
the  object  of  that  manifestation,  or  the  relation  in  which  Je- 
hovah would  consequently  stand  to  us  ?  Suppose  that  term, 
or  title,  should  be  Lord  : — would  there  be  any  impropriety 
in  the  phrase  God  and  Lord?  Would  the  phrase  imply  that 
there  are  two  gods,  or  two  persons  in  god  head  ?  Would 
there  be  any  thing  difficult  or  abstruse  about  such  a  use  of 
terms,  under  such  circumstances  ?  Is  it  not  precisely  what 
our  nature  calls  for?  And  to  our  view,  who  are  informed  that 
God  is  a  spirit,  would  it  not  create  all  the  distinction,  which, 
after  all,  we  can  perceive  ? 

Suppose  still  farther,  that  amid  the  many  philosophic  or 
religious  errors,  which  have  been  taught  in  the  world,  it 
should  have  been  maintained,  that  there  had  been  many  such 
manifestations,  and  that  these  had  been  proclaimed  to  us  as 
so  many  different  lords;  would  it  not  be  a  needful  admoni- 
tion to  us,  that  there  is  but  one  God  and  one  Lord; — one 
infinite  spirit,  and  one  glorious  manifestation  of  that  spirit  ? 
Certain  it  is,  whether  the  explanatory  suggestion,  just  made, 
be  correct  or  not,  it  contains  the  very  thing  that  human  be- 
ings need,  and  expresses  those  very  peculiarities  which  are 
ascribed  to  the  Lord.  He  does  come  to  manifest  God  unto 
us;  and  on  the  principles  of  law  which  he  thus  announces, 
are  we  governed.  He  is  an  image  of  God  to  us:  he  is  our 
king.  Under  these  two  distinct  views  is  he  continually  repre- 
sented, in  both  the  old  and  new  testaments.  Beyond  this 
manifestation  of  Jehovah  we  cannot  go.  Immediately,  on 
making  an  attempt,  we  launch  into  the  region  of  pure  spi- 
rit, which  we  are  not  competent  to  perceive  or  to  know. 
Beyond  the  law,  thus  derived,  we  have  no  duties :  and  any 
discussion  of  moral  obligation,  which  would  carry  us  above 
the  administration  of  this  enthroned  Lord,  would  plunge  us 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  51 

into  mystery,  and  leave  us  to  perish  amid  our  own  vain  con- 
jectures, and  superstitious  apprehensions. 

Thus  far,  it  appears  to  me,  that  our  way  is  clear,  and  the 
explanation  distinct  and  unobjectionable.  If  any  thing  is 
supposed  to  have  been  left  unnoticed,  or  not  to  have  been 
exhibited  with  sufficient  variety  of  illustration,  let  it  not  be 
forgotten,  that  I  have  merely  commenced  the  discussion, 
and  given  the  particulars  of  the  subject  in  their  own  order, 
as  they  have  been  suggested  by  the  progress  that  has  been 
made.     Here  then  I  pause  for  the  present. 

May  God  give  us  wisdom  in  all  things,  and  finally  bring 
us  to  his  heavenly  glory,  that  we  may  see  him  as  he  is. 


LECTURE  III. 

Voice  or  Word. —  Word  made  flesh. — Two-fold  manifestation 
of  God. 

,Some  have  maintained,  that,  in  the  mosaic  system,  no- 
thing can  be  found  that  could  have  been  designed  to  exhi- 
bit in  its  purity,  the  doctrine  of  a  Messiah,  or  even  to  pre- 
serve it  at  all.  This  position  is  one  of  the  most  inaccurate, 
not  to  say  inconsiderate,  premises,  which  a  philosophic 
moralist  could  advance.  It  has  already  been  shown,  that 
both  natural  and  revealed  religion,  as  they  have  been  distin- 
guished, are  based  upon  the  constitution  of  human  nature; 
and  that  therefore  the  doctrine  of  one  God  and  one  Lord 
is  essentially  characteristic  of  both.  Mankind  can  have  no 
other  idea  of  Jehovah,  and  never  have  attempted  to  advance 
any  other,  without  winding  up  their  speculations,  either  in 
sheer  infidelity  or  fulsome  idolatry.  In  fact  Moses  appear- 
ed in  the  midst  of  a  period,  when  the  world  had  lapsed  into 
idol  worship;  and  was  professedly  engaged  in  erecting  a  sys- 
tem, designed  to  restore  to  the  earth  the  knowledge  of  the 
true  God  ;  i.  e.  of  one  God  and  one  Lord.  Hence  he  uses  the 
plural  noun  elohim.  And  though,  in  common  with  other 
official  agents  whom  heaven  has  employed  to  proclaim  to 
us  the  truth,  he  states  a  double  view  even  of  this  doctrine  of 
Jehovah,  as  shall  presently  be  evinced  ;  yet,  while  his  legal 
ceconomy  rests  on  the  primary  idea  of  God,  as  known  from 
the  beginning,  and  as  stated  in  these  three  chapters,  his 


52  LECTURES  ON 

whole  system  was  expressly  intended  to  lead  the  people  to 
the  Messiah.  "The  law,"  says  Paul,  "was  our  school- 
master, to  bring  us  unto  Christ;"*  i.  e.  Moses  was  officially 
occupied  in  teaching  to  mankind  the  elementary  principle  of 
God's  moral  government  among  men,  on  purpose  to  con- 
vince them  of  the  necessity  for  its  mediatorial  application. 
Or,  showing  the  peculiar  character  of  the  original  manifes- 
tation, which  God  had  made  of  himself,  he  intended,  or  Je- 
hovah intended  by  him,  to  prepare  the  human  mind  for  an- 
other manifestation  in  the  flesh  ;  which  is  the  sum  and  sub- 
stance of  the  mediatorial  scheme. 

There  may  be  some  apparent  novelty  in  the  preceding 
statement.  The  idea  of  a  double  manifestation  of  Jehovah 
in  personal  form,  may  at  first  sight,  seem  to  be,  at  least,  ex- 
ceedingly equivocal.  Yet  the  fact  exists,  and  is  clearly 
stated  in  the  scriptures.  It  has  been  overlooked,  and  a 
great  deal  of  consequent  confusion  has  resulted,  both  in  the 
general  interpretation  of  the  scriptures,  and  on  the  subject 
of  the  trinity.  For,  as  has  already  been  remarked,  Chris- 
tianity has  been  represented  as  an  original  system  ;  the 
remedial  principle  has  not  been  clearly  exhibited  ;  the  argu- 
ment on  the  subject  of  Christ's  divinity  has  been  very 
defective,  and  the  analogies  of  nature  command  little 
confidence.  But  on  this  point,  something  more  is  neces- 
sary than  mere  assertion.  I  then  resume  the  analysis,  and, 
returning  to  the  records  with  which  Moses  has  furnished  us, 
call  your  attention  to  a  particular  circumstance  which  he 
has  stated,  and  to  its  general  illustration. 

In  the  third  chapter,  speaking  of  Adam  and  Eve,  af- 
ter they  had  eaten  the  forbidden  fruit,  he  remarks — "They 
heard  the  Voice  of  the  Lord  God," — Jehovah  Elohim,  it  is 
in  the  original  hebrew — "walking  in  the  garden  in  the  cool 

»  to  to 

of  the  day."t  The  question  naturally  arises,  what  does 
Moses  mean  by  "the  voice  of  Jehovah  elohim?" — 
And  to  many,  it  may  seem  to  be  a  question  that  can  be  very 
easily  answered.  But  perhaps  they  may  not  have  attended 
to  it  very  closely,  and  may  not  be  aware  of  its  general  bear- 
ing on  the  moral  government  of  God. 

Faber,  in  his  Horae  Mosaicae,  and  in  his  treatise  on  the 
three  dispensations,  considers  the  being,  thus  manifested,  to 
have  been  "the  anthropomorphic  Word  ;"  or  a  corporeal  man- 
ifestation of  Jehovah— the  only  begotten  Son  in  human  form. 

•Gal.  iii.  24.  t  Gen.  iii.  8. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  53 

Mr.  Scott  remarks  on  the  place — "Some  visible  tokens  of 
the  Lord's  presence,  perhaps  in  human  form,  seem  here  in- 
timated, of  which  we  shall  hereafter  find  undeniable  instan- 
ces ;  and  which  should  be  considered  as  anticipations  of 
his  incarnation,  who  is  called  the  Word  of  God,  though  the 
word  rendered  walking  may  be  referred  to  the  voice,  and 
not  to  the  Lord." 

There  is  evidently  a  great  deal  of  indistinctness  in  the 
preceding  statements.  Perhaps,  says  Mr.  Scott,  in  hu- 
man form.  Mr.  Faber  has  the  very  same  impression  ;  the 
only  begotten  son  in  human  form,  he  says,  but  leaves 
the  whole  matter  as  a  very  obscure  thing. 

Now,  it  appears  to  me,  that  the  first  difficulty  with  which 
we  meet,  in  an  investigation  like  the  present,  will  be  the 
cause  of  all  the  other  difficulties  which  may  follow  :  and  that 
our  great  effort  should  be,  to  remove  from  our  way,  that 
which  first  involved  us  in  embarrassment.  I  therefore  de- 
ny, that  the  Voice  of  Jehovah  Elohim,  which  Adam  and  Eve 
heard  walking  in  the  garden,  was  the  "anthropomorphic 
Word" — the  only  begotten  Son  in  human  form — or  the  Lord's 
presence  in  human  form.  I  may  be  considered  to  be  ex- 
ceedingly adventurous  ;  but  the  following  argument  requires 
that  I  should  take  this  stand.  Let  my  reasons  be  carefully 
examined.     They  are  the  following  : 

1.  Whatever  the  Voice  of  Jehovah  Elohim  was,  it  was 
something  with  which  Adam  and  Eve  were  quite  familiar. 
They  knew  this  Voice  when  they  heard  his  approach,  and 
betrayed  no  fear,  but  that  which  necessarily  arose  from  their 
knowledge  of  his  character.  On  the  contrary  Adam  says, — 
"I  heard  thy  Voice  in  the  garden,  and  I  was  afraid,  because 
I  was  naked."  He  then  knew  the  Voice  of  Jehovah  Elohim, 
and  the  reason  of  his  fear  was,  simply  that  he  was  naked. 
Under  other  circumstances  he  would  not  have  been  afraid. 

In  like  manner,  the  Voice  of  Jehovah  Elohim,  refers  to 
previous  intercourse,  or  to  former  occasions  when  he  had 
appeared.  "Hast  thou  eaten  of  the  tree,  whereof  I  com- 
manded thee  that  thou  shouldst  not  eat  ?"  To  which  Adam 
replies, — "The  woman  whom  thou  gavest  to  be  with  me, 
she  gave  me  of  the  tree,  and  I  did  eat." 

If  then  by  the  Voice  of  the  Lord  we  are  here  to  under- 
stand the  anthropomorphic  word,  or  an  appearance  in  anti- 
cipation of  his  incarnation,  it  will  certainly  follow  that  every 
previous  appearance  was  perfectly  similar  in  its  character. 
The  creator,  as  such,  was  then  not  revealed  or  manifested  in 
5* 


54  LECTURES  ON 

personal  form,  to  Adam  at  all,  on  this  hypothesis  ;  nor  was 
there  any  manifestation,  which  would  have  corresponded 
with  his  unsinning  obedience  to  the  law.  As  a  matter  of 
course,  he  must  fall,  and  so  one  half  of  the  divine  consti- 
tution is  left  entirely  out  of  view.  For,  supposing  that 
Adam  had  kept  the  law,  would  there  have  been  no  personal 
intercourse  between  him  and  his  maker?  Or  would  that  in- 
tercourse have  rested  on  mediatorial  principles  ?  Most  as- 
suredly then,  there  must  have  been  a  distinct  manifestation 
which  Jehovah  made  of  himself  to  our  first  parents,  and 
which  was  suitable  to*their  condition  in  their  original  proba- 
tion. And  when  Moses  undertakes  to  give  an  historical 
sketch  of  these  early  transactions,  his  reference  must  be  to 
that  first  manifestation  ;  nor  could  any  thing  be  known  of 
the  second,  until  the  promise  of  "the  seed  of  the  woman" 
was  given.  Any  other  exposition  would  be  a  mere  supra- 
lapsarian  subterfuge,  which  would  involve  the  divine  pro- 
ceedings in  the  grossest  inconsistency. 

2.  The  supposition,  that  by  the  Voice  of  God  we  are  to 
understand  the  anthropomorphic  Word,  i.  e.  an  appearance  in 
anticipation  of  his  coming  in  the  flesh,  would  be  a  burlesque 
on  the  judicial  character  he  assumes.  For  such  an  appear- 
ance would  proceed  upon  the  fact  that  Adam  had  sinned : 
whereas  that  was  the  question  to  be  tried.  "Who  told  thee," 
said  the  Lord,  "that  thou  wast  naked?  Hast  thou  eaten  of 
the  tree  whereof  I  commanded  thee  that  thou  shouldst  not 
eat?"  These  hasty  judgments,  these  decrees  of  condem- 
nation, laid  up  amid  the  councils  of  eternity,  from  which 
there  is  no  escape,  and  of  which  we  hear  so  much,  may  suit 
the  abstractions  of  sectarian  theologians ;  but  belong  not  to 
the  judicial  policy  which  the  scriptures  have  acknowledged. 
God  does  nothing  on  arbitrary  principles;  nor  does  he  gov- 
ern us  by  laws,  or  condemn  us  by  sentences,  which  are  be- 
yond our  comprehension.  The  very  reason,  why  he  mani- 
fests himself  in  personal  form,  is,  that  every  thing,  interesting 
to  us  in  his  character  and  proceedings,  may  be  brought  with- 
in the  range  of  our  perceptions.  Take  as  an  example,  in 
which  the  remarks  just  made  are  unequivocally  sustained, 
the  conversation  which  the  Lord  had  with  Abraham,  before 
the  destruction  of  Sodom  :  "Because  the  cry  of  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah  is  great,  and  because  their  sin  is  very  grievous,  I 
will  go  down  now  and  see  whether  they  have  done  al- 
together according  to  the  cry  of  it,  which  is  come  unto  me  ; 
and  if  not  I  will  know.     If  I  find  fifty  righteous  men — if  I 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  55 

find  forty  and  five — if  I  find  thirty — I  will  not  destroy  the 
city."*  Take  away  from  us  this  view  of  the  divine  admin- 
istration, and  there  may  be  justice  in  it,  but  there  is  no  pos- 
sibility that  we  should  perceive  its  justice.  Evidently  the  hy- 
pothesis, which  has  been  commonly  received,  throws  away,  as 
unworthy  of  the  slightest  attention,  the  whole  individuality 
of  man  ;  or  exchanges  it  for  some  inconceivable  abstraction, 
with  which,  it  is  no  intention  of  our  heavenly  Father  to  tor- 
ture our  little  faculties. 

3.  The  indistinctness  with  which  the  phrase — Voice  of 
Jehovah  Elohim — has  been  presented  to  the  christian  mind, 
is  the  cause  of  all  the  embarrassment  that  has  existed  on  the 
subject  of  the  trinity.  For,  finding  that  the  Logos  or 
Word  was  known  from  the  beginning,  that  he  had  been  "fore- 
ordained, or  for eknoicn,  before  the  foundation  of  the  world," 
that  by  him  all  things  were  made,  and  that  the  divine  dis- 
tinction, expressed  by  the  term  trinity,  existed  before  the 
incarnation,  it  has  been  confidently  affirmed  that  this  dis- 
tinction belongs  to  godhead  itself.  And,  moreover,  that,  as 
Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  are  the  peculiar  terms,  expres- 
sive of  that  distinction,  as  it  is  precisely  stated  to  us  in  the 
new  testament,  then  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  exist  in 
godhead  itself.  Hence  then  the  doctrine  of  three  portions, 
or  three  substances,  or  three  persons,  in  the  divine  nature. 
Hence  also  the  doctrine  of  the  eternal  generation  of  the  Son, 
and  the  eternal  procession  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  These  doc- 
trines, while  their  own  advocates  do  not  pretend  to  explain 
them,  have  ever  been  the  occasion  of  irreconcilable  contro- 
versies. But  if  the  Logos  or  Word  is  only  in  a  first  manifes- 
tation of  God,  what  the  Son  is  in  the  second,  then  the  sub- 
ject of  godhead,  or  rather  the  embarrassment  which  theologi- 
ans have  felt,  in  relation  to  that  subject,  is  greatly  relieved. 
Then  they  would  be  under  no  necessity  to  run  up  their  spe- 
culations so  high;  or  to  infer,  from  the  previous  existence 
which  is  ascribed  to  the  Word,  that  a  threefold  distinction  is 
predicated  of  the  divine  essence  itself.  The  distinction 
would,  in  both  cases,  result  from,  and  be  characteristic  of, 
the  manifestation  which  Jehovah  has  made  of  himself;  and 
a  very  little  reflection,  or  scriptural  research,  I  conceive, 
would  make  the  whole  matter  as  intelligible  to  us,  as  any 
other  part  of  divine  revelation. 

4.  The  apostle  John,  referring  to  these  very  transactions 
of  which  Moses  writes,  observes — "In  the  beginning  was 

*Gen.  xviii.  20—33. 


56     '  LECTURES  Otf 

the  word,  and  the  Word  was  with  god,  and  the  Word  was 
god; — all  things  were  made  by  him,  and  without  him  was  not 
any  thing  made  that  was  made."  Of  course  then,  the  word 
of  which  John  speaks,  and  the  voice  of  which  Moses  speaks, 
are  identically  the  same.  But  then  the  Word,  according  to 
the  apostle,  was  not  man,  but  was  God.  Afterwards  he  con- 
tinues ;  "  The  Word  was  made  flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us." 
This  quotation  appears,  to  me,  to  afford  positive  and  deci- 
sive testimony  in  favor  of  the  doctrine  advanced  ; — i.  e.  that 
there  have  been  two  distinct  manifestations,  in  which  God 
has  exhibited  himself  to  mankind:  both  equally  resulting 
from  the  constitution  of  human  nature;  and  suited,  the  one 
to  man  as  he  was  originally  created,  and  the  other  to  man 
as  he  is  a  sinner.  They  seem  to  be  so  precisely  analo- 
gous, that,  the  mind,  which  recognizes  the  truth  of  the  mo- 
saic account  of  the  fall,  and  perceives  the  propriety  of,  and 
necessity  for,  the  one,  can  be  at  no  great  loss  to  perceive  the 
propriety  of,  and  the  necessity  for,  the  other;  but  will  sensi- 
bly feel,  that  if  either  be  scriptural  or  rational,  the  other  must 
be  equally  so.  The  christian  will  thus  have  the  divinity  of 
his  saviour  demonstrated ;  while  the  dissenter,  on  that  subject, 
will  have  a  new  and  difficult  task  thrown  into  his  hand,  in 
an  attempt  to  perform  which,  he  may  possibly  be  convinced 
of  his  palpable  and  mischievous  error. 

5.  The  apostle  Paul,  in  his  epistle  to  the  philippians,  star- 
tles us,  by  making  a  similar  statement.  Speaking  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  he  describes  him  thus:  "Who,  being  in  the 
form  of  God,  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God  ; 
but  made  himself  of  no  reputation;  divested  or  emptied  him- 
self, and  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  was  made  in 
the  likeness  of  men."*  Here  then  we  have  this  double  exhi- 
bition ao-ain, — the  form  of  god,  and  the  likeness  of 
men;  nor  only  so,  but  Christ  Jesus  is  represented  as  divest- 
in°"  himself  of  one  form,  and  taking  upon  him  the  other. 
At  the  same  time  it  must  be  evident  to  every  one,  that  the 
form  of  God  does  not  mean  the  essence  of  God,  seeing  that 
Christ  could  not  divest  himself  of  the  divine  essence.  There 
is  then  a.  form  of  God,  and  there  is  a  likeness  of  men,  in  which 
God  has  exhibited  himself  to  human  view  ; — in  other  words, 
there  have  been  two  distinct  manifestations  of  Jehovah;  and 
Moses  is  referring  to  the  first  when  he  tells  us  of  the  Voice 
of  Jehovah  Elohim  walking  in  the  garden. 

6.  The  apostle  John,  whom  we  have  already  quoted,  as  fur- 

*  Ch.  ii.  6,  8. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  57 

nishing  us  with  very  clear  testimony  on  this  point,  further  re- 
marks: "No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time  ;  the  only  begotten 
Son  which  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  he  hath  declared 
him  :"*  and  again  in  one  of  his  epistles,  "  No  marrhath  seen 
God  at  any  time."t  He  also  represents  the  redeemer  as  ob- 
serving :  "The  Father  himself,  which  hath  sent  me,  hath  borne 
witness  of  me.  Ye  have  neither  heard  his  voice  at  any  time, 
nor  seen  his  shape,  or  form,  or  visible  appearance. "t — "Not 
that  any  man  hath  seen  the  Father,  save  he  which  is  of 
God,  he  hath  seen  the  Father."§  "He  that  hath  seen  me 
hath  seen  the  Father." ||  These  declarations  or  expressions 
may  be  compared  with  another  remark,  Matthew  reports  him 
to  have  made,  when  speaking  of  his  "little  ones  :"  "Their 
angels  do  always  behold  the  face  of  my  Father  winch  is  in 
Heaven."%  These  varying  phrases,  and  differing  statements, 
may  be  readily  reconciled  upon  the  principle  of  a  twofold 
manifestation;  particularly  when  the  subsequent  references 
to  the  old  testament  shall  be  duly  considered.  But  the  al- 
lusion to  form,  other  than  that  which  is  mediatorial,  is  too 
frequent  and  striking  to  be  explained  in  any  other  way. 

7.  When  the  ceremonial  institutions  of  the  former  dispensa- 
tion were  in  the  progress  of  their  proclamation,  a  very  singu- 
lar interview  between  God  and  Moses  is  described.  Moses 
prefers  the  following  petition:  "I  beseech  thee,  show  me 
thy  glory."  To  this,  perhaps  inconsiderate,  prayer,  God 
answers;  "I  will  make  all  my  goodness  pass  before  thee, 
and  I  will  proclaim  the  name  of  the  Lord.  Thou  canst  not  see 
my  face,  for  there  shall  no  man  see  me  and  live.  And  the  Lord 
said,  behold  there  is  a  place  by  me,  and  thou  shalt  stand 
upon  a  rock,  and  it  shall  come  to  pass,  while  my  glory  pas- 
seth  by,  that  I  will  put  thee  in  a  cleft  of  the  rock,  and  will 
cover  thee  with  rmj  hand  while  I  pass  by  ;  and  I  will  take  away 
my  hand  and  thou  shalt  see  my  hack  parts,  but  my  face  shall 
not  be  seen."**  In  the  book  of  numbers  also,  when  Aaron 
and  Miriam  had  spoken  against  Moses,  Jehovah  appears  in 
behalf  of  his  servant,  declaring:  "With  him  will  I  speak 
mouth  to  mouth,  even  apparently,  and  not  in  dark  speeches, 
and  the  similitude  of  Jehovah  shall  he  behold."  Here  then, 
again  we  have  the  similitude  or  form,  not  of  man,  but  of  God  ; 
I  say  not  the  form  of  man,  because  God  says  to  Moses — 

*  John  i.  18.       •  ||Ch.xiv.  9. 

t  1  John  iv.  12.  IT  Mat.  xviii.  10. 

\  John  v.  37  **  Exod.  xxxiii.  ±8. 
§Ch.  vi.  46. 


58  LECTURES  ON 

Thou  canst  not  see  my  face ;  for  there  shall  no  man  see  me  and 
live. 

In  connexion  with  the  preceding  facts,  two  or  three  others 
are  recorded  which  seem  to  be  of  a  totally  different  charac- 
ter. It  is  said  that  Abraham  saw  and  conversed  with  Jeho- 
vah ;  yet  he  did  not  die.  Jacob  also  before  he  had  met  with 
Esau  on  his  return  to  his  own  country,  called  the  name  of 
a  particular  place  Penill,  observing  I  have  seen  God  face 
to  face,  and  my  life  is  preserved.*  Thus  then  God  was  seen. 
But  in  both  of  these  cases,  he  appeared  in  the  form  of  a  man, 
as  the  history  explicitly  states. 

We  have  then  again  this  double  manifestation  of  Jehovah 
very  clearly  asserted  ;  nor  only  so,  but  Moses  is  placed  in 
circumstances  which  distinguish  him  as  an  official  man  from 
all  other  men.  The  occasion  had  some  peculiarity  about,  it, 
which  belonged  exclusively  to  itself,  or  to  no  other  period 
which  has  transpired  since  the  fall.  Accordingly  in  his  charge 
to  the  people,  he  so  speaks  of  it:  "For  ask  now  of  the  days 
that  are  past,  which  were  before  thee,  since  the  day  that  God 
created  man  on  the  earth,  and  ask  from  the  one  side  of 
heaven  unto  the  other,  whether  there  has  been  any  such 
thing  as  this  great  thing  is,  or  hath  been  heard  like  it  ?  Did 
ever  people  hear  the  Voice  of  God  speaking  out  of  the  midst 
of  the  fire,  as  thou  hast  heard  and  live?"!  And  what  was 
the  peculiarity  ?  We  know  of  none  other  than  that  the  Sinai 
covenant  was  a  dispensation  of  law.  Its  principles  were, 
do  and  live  ; — transgress  and  dte.  Now  it  is  evident  that 
the  very  same  thing  was  promulgated  to  Adam,  before  the 
fall,  and  constituted  the  great  characteristic  of  his  original 
probation.  As,  therefore,  Jehovah  was  now  reviving  the  prin- 
ciple of  law,  as  it  is  distinguished  from  that  of  gospel, 
which  belongs  to  the  christian  dispensation  ;  He  appear- 
ed in  the  character  of  lawgiver,  and  not  of  mediator; 
in  the  form  of  God,  and  not  in  the  form  of  man.  The  pro- 
priety of  this  view  would  fully  appear,  if  the  nature,  design 
and  operation  of  the  two  dispensations  were  fully  understood. 
It  will  devolve  upon  us  to  look  at  them  hereafter. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  appearances  to  Abraham  and 
Jacob  were  purely  mediatorial.  The  law  was  not  given  to 
them.  On  the  contrary,  Paul  assures  us,  that  "the  scrip- 
ture foreseeing  that  God  would  justify  the  heathen  through 
faith,  preached  the   gospel  before  to  Abraham,  saying,  in 

*  Gen.  xxxii.  24—32.  f  Deut.  iv.  32,  33. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  59 

thee  shall  all  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed."*  The  reason 
of  this  also,  will  hereafter  be  considered.  In  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Sinai  covenant,  we  have  something  analogous 
to  the  original  institute  given  to  Adam,  and  in  the  Abra- 
hamic  covenant,  a  repetition  of  the  subsequent  promise, — 
"  the  seed  of  the  woman  shall  bruise  the  head  of  the  ser- 
pent." And  with  the  two,  the  double  manifestation  of  God 
precisely  corresponds. 

8.  On  a  particular  occasion,  God  is  represented  as  speak- 
ing unto  Moses,  in  the  following  manner: — "I  appeared 
unto  Abraham,  unto  Isaac,  and  unto  Jacob,  by  the  name  of 
Almighty  God  ;  but  by  my  name  Jehovah  was  I  not  known 
unto  them."t  This  seems  to  be  exceedingly  singular  lan- 
guage, to  any  one  who  is  familiar  with  the  previous  history; 
for  the  word  Jehovah  occurs  in  it,  with  great  frequency; 
not  simply  as  an  epithet  which  the  superior  knowledge  of 
the  historian  enabled  him  to  employ,  but  it  is  used  by  the 
very  individuals,  who,  according  to  the  text,  we  might  has- 
tily suppose,  were  entirely  ignorant  of  it.  For  example  : — 
while  Abraham  was  on  the  mount,  whither  he  had  been 
called  to  offer  his  son  in  sacrifice,  and  after  the  solemn  cer- 
emonies of  that  interesting  scene  were  over,  he  called  the 
name  of  the  place  jehovah — jireh.  Of  course,  critics  have 
found  considerable  difficulty  in  adjusting  the  seemingly  con- 
tradictory statements.  Dr.  Shuckford  considers  the  trans- 
lation to  be  faulty,  and  observes  that  the  "best  and  most 
accurate  writers  have  remarked  on  the  place,  that  the  latter 
part  of  the  verse  should  be  used  interrogatively,  thus  :  By 
my  name  Jehovah  was  I  not  known  unto  them  ?"  t  It  is  the 
more  objectionable,  that  this  author  should  have  so  readily 
and  entirely  adopted  this  explanation  ;  because,  he  himself 
observes, — "That  it  is  remarkable  from  the  writings  of 
Moses,  that  there  were  two  different  and  distinct  persons 
known  and  worshipped  by  the  faithful  from  the  days  of 
Abraham  ;  God  whom  no  man  hath  seen  at  any  time,  and 
the  lord  who  at  divers  times  appeared  unto  them.  The 
lord  who  appeared  to  them,  is  allowed  by  the  best  and  most 
judicious  writers,  to  have  been  the  same  divine  person,  who 
afterwards  took  upon  him  the  seed  of  Abraham,  and  was 
made  man,  and  dwelt  among  the  jews."§ 

It  is  very  evident  to  an  attentive  observer,  that  both  the 
difficulty  and   the  explanation   arise  from   considering  the 

•Gal.  iii.  S.  fExod.  vi.  3. 

tShuckford's  Connexions,  vol.  2,  p.  400.         §  Vol.  2.  pp.  401-2. 


60  LECTURES  ON 

term  name  to  refer  to  the  mere  word  Jehovah:  and  that  re- 
ference would  be  the  more  readily  made  by  the  reader  of 
our  english  version,  because  it  represents  Jehovah  as  say- 
ing, in  the  first  clause  of  the  text, — "I  appeared  by  the 
name  of  Almighty  God."  Indeed  our  translators  have  itali- 
cised the  words  which  are  not  in  the  original  hebrew,  in- 
tending thereby  to  admonish  their  readers  of  the  fact.  But 
might  they  not,  when  seeking  for  explanatory  terms,  with 
equal  propriety  have  rendered  the  passage  thus — "  I  ap- 
peared in  the  form  of  Almighty  God" — or  as  Almighty  God? 
An  appearance  is  spoken  of,  and  that  must  have  been  in 
form  of  some  kind  :  and  the  history  of  the  facts  report  it  to 
have  been  in  the  form  of  a  man. 

The  term  name  means  the  representative  of  a  being  or 
thing.  Thus  it  was  accordingly  used.  So  God  speaks  of 
the  angel  that  went  up  before  his  people — my  name  is  in 
him.*  So  also  in  later  times  he  spake  by  his  prophets,  con- 
cerning his  people  and  their  habitation — "  I  will  bring  them 
unto  the  place  that  I  have  chosen  to  set  my  name  thereof 
In  like  manner  baptism  is  now  administered,  not  in  the 
names  of,  but  in  the  name  of,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 
Name  is  therefore  a  term  particularly  referring  to  some  ex- 
ternal manifestation  which  Jehovah  makes  of  himself.  The 
meaning  of  the  passage  then  would  be  this — "God  appeared 
to  Abraham,  to  Isaac  and  to  Jacob,  in  the  form  of,  or  man- 
ifested as,  Almighty  God,  which  was  the  form  of  man  :  but 
in  the  form  of  Jehovah,  which  Paul  tells  us,  was  the  form 
of  God,  he  was  not  known  unto,  ox  perceived  by,  them.  The 
ideas  conveyed  are  precisely  those  which  have  already  been 
noticed,  in  the  apparently  contradictory  phrases — -I  have 
seen  God  face  to  face,  and — no  man  can  see  my  face  and 
live.  The  whole  is  perfectly  plain  upon  the  principle  of  a 
double  manifestation  of  God. — The  force  of  the  denomina- 
tion Almighty  God  as  contrasted  with  the  term  Jehovah, 
shall  be  considered  hereafter. 

This  interpretation  of  the  text  which  has  been  quoted,  is 
confirmed  by  the  accompanying  circumstances,  which  I 
would  state  in  the  following  manner: — In  the  form  of  man, 
I  did  appear  to  Abraham,  to  Isaac  and  to  Jacob;  but  in  the 
form  of  God  I  never  was  manifested  unto  them.  But  now 
I  will  manifest  myself  to  thee  in  the  form  of  God.  It  is  my 
purpose  by  thy  ministry  to  bring  the  people  out  of  Egypt, 
and  to  put  them  in  a  peculiar  relation  to  myself,  as  my  elect 
*Exod.  xxiii.  21.  fNeh.  i.  9. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  61 

people,  and  to  do  among  them  such  things,  as  well  as  to 
display  myself  among  them  in  such  a  manner,  as  no  other 
nation  has  ever  witnessed.  In  the  form  of  God,  I  will  de- 
liver to  them  the  law;  that  they,  being  placed  under  it,  and 
by  its  oppressive  operation  being  shut  up  to  the  faith  of  a 
mediator,  may  be  a  standing  monument  to  all  nations  that 
no  man  can  be  saved  by  the  works  of  the  law. 

9.  The  last  circumstance  which  I  shall  notice,  in  proof  of 
this  double  manifestation  of  God,  is  derived  from  the  con- 
versation which  Satan  is  reported  to  have  held  with  Eve. 
He  does  not  appear  accurately  to  have  understood  the  mo- 
ral position,  which  our  first  parents  occupied  in  paradise  : — 
at  least  Eve  felt  herself  to  be  under  a  necessity  to  explain, 
after  hearing  his  remark.  Yet  he  makes  no  mistake  in 
speaking  of  God  himself;  for  he  denominates  him  the  Elo- 
him,  just  as  Moses  does.  How  should  he  be  competent  to 
express  himself  with  so  much  exactness  in  the  one  case,  and 
under  such  apparent  embarrassment  in  the  other? 

The  whole   subject  of  angelic   operations,  many  theolo- 
gians hold  as  an  exceedingly  equivocal  matter.     Why  they 
should  thus  discard  from  their  consideration  an  interesting 
analogy,  derived  from  the  intellectual  world  in  illustration  of 
moral  science,  it  may  not  be  worth  while,  at  present,  to  in- 
quire.    If  God  has  created  one  race  of  intellectual  beings, 
there  is  nothing  unphilosophical  in  the  idea  that  he  should 
have  created  another.  If  the  animal  and  mineral  worlds  are 
full  of  varieties,  there  is  no  unanswerable  argument  against 
like    varieties  existing  in  the   intellectual   world.     If  sin  is 
discovered  in  one   part   of  God's  intellectual  empire,  there 
is  nothing  so  exceedingly  repulsive,  as  some  men  affect  to 
consider  it,  in  the  supposition  that  sin  may  be  found  in  some 
other  part  of  his  intellectual  empire.     Accordingly   Moses 
introduces  Satan  to  our  notice,  not  only  as  using  a  common 
term  with  himself  in  designating  Jehovah,  but  as  speaking 
with  perfect  familiarity  on  the  subject   of  the  knowledge  of 
good  and  evil,  to  which  Jehovah  afterwards  refers,  as  actually 
belonging  to  other  parts  of  his  dominion  : — "Behold,"  says 
he,  "the  man  has  become  as  one  of  us,  to   know  good  and 
evil."  The  redeemer  too  has  explicitly  informed  us,  that  in 
the  resurrection,  when   all    the    natural  relations   are    done 
away,  we  shall  be  like  the  angels.     There  is  then  a  simili- 
tude between  these  higher  orders  of  intellectual  beings  and 
ourselves.     The  point  of  dissimilarity  between  us,  appears 
to  consist  in  the  natural  relations  which  distinguish  our  pre- 


62 


LECTURES  ON 


sent  mode  of  existence,  and  belong  not  to  them ;  and  of 
course,  in  their  not  having  been  placed  under  any  thing 
like  that  form  of  political  government,  which  has  been 
called  federal  representation.  They  seem  to  stand  simply 
on  their  personal  responsibility ;  hence  all  of  them  have 
not  fallen.  Some  have  rebelled,  while  others  have  retained 
their  integrity.  Now  this  is  a  mode  of  intellectual  and 
moral  existence,  in  regard  of  which,  it  would  be  very  diffi- 
cult to  assign  any  philosophical  reason,  why  mankind 
should  not  take  the  deepest  interest  in  contemplating  and 
understanding  it.  But  if  this  analogy  can  be  thus  traced, 
both  scripturally  and  rationally,  then  the  reason  why  Satan 
uses  the  term  Elohim  is  very  apparent.  For  then  there  is 
a  manifestation  which  God  makes  of  himself  to  them,  as 
well  as  to  us.  This  cannot  be  supposed  to  be  in  the  form 
of  man.  Of  course  then,  there  is  a  double  manifestation  of 
Jehovah,  agreeably  to  the  doctrine  I  have  advanced. 

Hence,  in  the  book  of  Job,  Satan  and  the  sons  of  God 
are  represented  as  presenting  themselves  before  the  lord. 
The  occurrence  is  statud  to  have  taken  place  on  a  certain  day  ; 
to  have  been  repeated  on  a  future  and  similar  occasion  ; 
and  the  incidents  are  described  with  considerable  minuteness. 
The  whole  scene,  in  view  of  the  phraseology  employed,  is 
very  much  like  that  drawn  out  in  the  fourth  chapter  of  gen- 
esis, where  Cain  and  Abel  appeared  at  the  door  of  the  ante- 
diluvian tabernacle,  within  which  were  the  cherubim  of 
glory — the  emblem  of  the  invisible  God. 

Isaiah  also,  with  most  thrilling  interest,  depicts  a  vision 
with  which  he  was  favored,  in  the  year  that  king  Uzziah 
died,  when  he  says,  "I  saw  the  lord  sitting  on  a  throne, 
high  and  lifted  up,  and  his  train  filled  the  everlasting  tem- 
ple. Above  it,"  he  continues,  "stood  the  seraphim;  each 
one  had  six  wings;  with  twain  he  covered  his  face,  and 
with  twain  he  covered  his  feet,  and  with  twain  he  did  fly. 
And  one  cried  unto  another,  and  said,  holy,  holy,  holy  is 
jehovah  of  hosts;  the  whole  earth  is  full  of  his  glory.  And 
the  posts  of  the  door  moved  at  the  voice  of  him  that  cried, 
and  the  house  was  filled  with  smoke.  Then  said  I,  wo  is 
me,  for  I  am  undone,  because  I  am  a  man  of  unclean  lips, 
and  I  dwell  in  the  midst  of  a  people  of  unclean  lips;  for 
mine  eyes  have  seen  the  king,  jehovah  of  hosts."* 

In  like  manner  Jesus  says,  speaking  of  his  "  little  ones," 
— "  their  angels  do  always  behold  the  face  of  my  father 
which  is  in  heaven. 

•Isaiah  vi.  1 — 5. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  63 

Surely  the  testimony  of  a  twofold  manifestation,  in  per- 
sonal form,  which  Jehovah  has  afforded  of  himself,  the  one 
in  the  form  of  God,  and  suited  to  man  in  his  state  of  in- 
nocence, as  well  as  to  angels  in  heaven  ;  and  the  other  in 
the  form  of  man,  suited  to  us  in  our  state  of  sin,  is  clear 
and  undeniable.  According  to  the  usual  ideas  of  the  trinity, 
what  can  theologians  do  with  the  fact? 

But,  after  all,  you  may,  perhaps,  inquire  what  this  mani- 
festation was  ?  Or,  in  what,  in  either  case,  it  consisted  ?  It 
has  been  supposed  that  the  Word,  or  Son,  was  the  second 
person  of  the  trinity,  and  that,  in  the  relations  between  God 
and  his  intelligent  creatures,  established  by  the  personal  ex- 
hibition contemplated,  the  second  person  is  the  representa- 
tive of  the  whole  deity.  Sabellius,  in  preferring  to  say,  a 
certain  portion,  or  energy,  advocates  essentially  the  same 
view,  and  merely  changes  terms.  Arius  violently  breaks 
away  from  the  whole  subject,  and  talks  about  a  lesser  god; 
thus  teaching  the  doctrine  of  two  gods,  while  he  complains 
of  his  opponents  because  they  taught  that  of  three. 

The  heavens  and  the  earth  are  said  to  be  a  manifestation 
of  Jehovah,  in  which  his  attributes  are  displayed  with  great 
beauty  and  brilliance.  Whom  then  do  they  manifest?  The 
second  person  of  the  trinity — or  God  himself?  Certainly  the 
scriptures  do  assure  us  that  the  heavens  and  the  earth  were 
framed  by  the  Word  of  God.  This  is  the  doctrine  of  faith 
which  they  teach.  But,  at  the  same  time,  do  they  not  as 
clearly  assert,  that  the  godhead  is  thereby  set  forth  to  our 
view  ? — "  The  invisible  things  of  him  are  clearly  seen  by  the 
things  which  are  made — even  his  eternal  power  and  godhead." 

In  like  manner,  we  are  informed  that  in  Christ  Jesus 
"  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  godhead  bodily."  A  distinc- 
tion, a  portion,  a  person,  separate  from  other  portions  or 
persons,  as  belonging  to  godhead,  is  not  even  hinted  at. 
All  the  godhead — all  the  fulness  of  the  godhead — dwell- 
eth in  him  bodily.  Any  distinction  which  is  supposed, 
subsists  merely  between  God  himself — or  the  godhead,  and 
the  bodily  residence  in  which  he  dwells.  And  any  other  view, 
his  apostle  would  inform  us,  is  mere  philosophy  and  vain 
deceit,  after  the  tradition  of  men."* 

Again — Christ  is  said  to  be  the  image  of  God,f — the  image 
of  the  invisible  God\ — the  brightness  of  his  glory,  and  the 
exact  image  of  his  substance.  And  God  is  declared  to  be  "in 
Christ,  reconciling  the  world  unto  himself."     Hence  the 

*Col.  ii.  8,  9.  12  Cor.  iv.  4.  }  Col.  i.  15. 


64  LECTURES  ON 

gentile  world  is  condemned  for  changing  the  glory  of  the  in- 
corruptible God,  into  an  image  made  like  to  corruptible  man. 

Jesus  speaks  of  himself  in  a  manner  equally  explicit: — 
"The  Father  is  in  me:" — "He  that  hath  seen  me,  hath 
seen  the  Father  ;  and  how  sayest  thou  then,  shew  us  the 
Father?  Believest  thou  not  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and 
the  Father  in  me  ?  The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you,  I 
speak  not  of  myself,  but  the  Father  that  dwelleth  in 
me,  he  doeth  the  works.  Believe  me  that  I  am  in  the  Fa- 
ther and  the  Father  in  me."* 

The  original  manifestation  in  the  form  of  God  is  described 
in  like  terms.  "Show  me  thy  glory,"  or  grant  me  a  view 
of  thy  personal  appearance,  said  Moses*  to  which  he  re- 
ceived for  answer, — "thou  canst  not  see  my  face,  for  no 
man  can  see  me  and  live."  God  himself  is  then  invisible 
— yet  the  similitude,  the  image  of  this  invisible  God,  Moses 
was  permitted  to  behold.  Isaiah  also,  in  vision,  saw  the 
king — Jehovah  of  Hosts.  And  Christ  speaks  of  "the 
face  of  his  Father  which  is  in  heaven." 

The  mediatorial  appearances,  with  which  Abraham  and 
Isaac  and  Jacob  were  indulged,  had  the  same  general  cha- 
racter. Jehovah  conversed  with  Abraham  before  the  de- 
struction of  Sodom.  Jehovah  appeared  to  him  again,  and 
said,  I  am  Almighty  God;  walk  before  me,  and  be  thou  per- 
fect." He  afterwards  told  Moses — "I  appeared  to  Abra- 
ham, to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacob,  as  Almighty  God;  but  by 
my  name  Jehovah,  was  I  not  known  unto  them.  He  ap- 
peared to  Moses  himself,  and  said, -"I  am  that  I  am — I 
am  Jehovah  Elohim."! 

Could  proof  more  ample  or  explicit  be  desired,  in  order 
to  show  that,  in  all  these  cases,  the  being  who  was  mani- 
fested was  God  himself  I  A  distinct  personal  appearance 
there  was; — various  personal  appearances  there  were;  the 
exterior  form  was  different,  according  to  circumstances; 
but  that  form  was  always  inhabited  by  God  himself  And 
indeed  what  is  there  improbable,  unnatural,  or  incredible  in 
such  a  view?  Or  was  there  not  evidence  enough  of  the 
fact,  when  the  heavens  and  the  earth  started  into  being, 
when  the  bush  on  fire  remained  unconsumed, — when  the 
mountain  burned  to  the  midst  of  heaven, — when  Christ 
wrought  his  wondrous  miracles?  Is  there  the  least  neces- 
sity to  waste  our  ingenuity  in  framing  some  perplexed  and 
abstruse  hypothesis?    What  more  can  be  gained  or  desired? 

*  John  xiv.  9—11.  t  Exod.  iii.  H. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  65 

Perhaps  these  various  personal  appearances  may  be 
charged  with  bringing  a  great  deal  of  confusion  into  this 
branch  of  moral  science.  But  let  it  be  remembered  that  this 
confusion  is  not  the  result  of  the  argument  now  advanced: 
for,  whether  that  argument  be  true  or  false,  these  appear- 
ances are  all  matters  of  historical  fact,  which  I  have  not 
created,  but  simply  arranged.  And  why  should  they  intro- 
duce any  confusion?  Are  not  the  circumstances  to  which 
they  respectively  belong,  sufficiently  distinct  to  account 
for  the  variety  which  has  occurred?  Two  systems  of  moral 
government  are  delineated — Law  and  Gospel — the  first  con- 
sistent with  the  form  of  God,  and  the  second  with  the  form 
of  man;  or  the  revival  of  law  and  the  prophetical  annuncia- 
tions of  gospel,  are  described, each  sustained  by  its  own  ap- 
propriate manifestation. 

In  the  mere  fact  of  change  of  form,  no  difficulty  can  exist: 
because  every  one  must  know  that  change  is  the  property 
of  form,  its  susceptibility  for  which  is  apparent  in  every  di- 
rection. Our  bodies  pass  through  endless  changes,  from  in- 
fancy to  manhood — from  manhood  to  the  grave — from  a 
natural  into  a  spiritual  state.  Christ  was  transfigured — meta- 
morphosed— changed  his  form  on  the  mount;  appeared  in 
more  forms  than  one  after  his  resurrection;  talked  of  his 
flesh  and  bones,  while  his  apostles  speak  of  his  glorious  body 
in  heaven.  The  glory  of  the  Lord  of  old  was  a  flaming  fire 
in  a  bush — a  pillar  of  fire  in  a  cloud — an  "infolding"  flame 
over  the  cherubim.  The  Spirit  was  recognised  at  one  time 
in  bodily  shape,  like  a  dove;  at  another  in  cloven  tongues 
like  as  of  fire.  Angels  have  been  viewed  as  men;  and  again, 
with  a  countenance  like  lightning,  and  raiment  white  as 
snow.  But  all  this  change  of  form,  which  some  correspond- 
ing change  in  external  circumstances  may  call  for,  does  by 
no  means  involve  or  imply  the  destruction  of  personal  iden- 
tity. 

In  relation  to  the  subject  under  consideration,  the  per- 
sonal identity  is  most  carefully  and  scrupulously  preserved. 
He  "made  himself  of  no  reputation — laid  aside,  divested 
himself  of  the  form  of  God,  and  took  upon  him  the  form  of 
man.  The  Word  which  was  God  was  made  flesh.  The  se- 
cond Adam  is  the  Lord  from  heaven.  My  Father  is  in 
me — the  angels  behold  the  face  of  my  Father,  which  is 
in  heaven.  The  Son  is  the  brightness  of  glory,  and  the 
exact  image  of  his  substance.  Now  can  they,  who  have 
been  in  the  habit  of  viewing  Jehovah  as  filling  illimitable 
6* 


66  LECTURES  ON 

space,  as  every  where  present,  as  alike,  and  at  the  same 
time,  manifested  to  both  angels  and  men,  feel  any  difficulty 
in  the  idea,  that  he  sustains  two  distinct  manifestations, 
suited  to  two  distinct  orders  of  intelligences,  who  are,  for 
the  time  being,  in  different  circumstances?  Or  can  there 
be  any  great  labour  of  imagination  required  to  conceive 
the  fact,  that,  when  this  difference  of  circumstances  shall 
be  obliterated,  or  when  human  beings  shall  be  "like  the  an- 
gels," the  original  manifestation,  which  Jehovah  made  of 
himself  in  the  form  of  God,  shall  then  be  equally  suitable  to 
all,  and  Christ  shall  surrender  the  kingdom  to  his  Father, 
so  that  God  shall  be  all  and  in  all?  May  not  he,  who 
covers  himself  with  light  as  with  a  garment,  assume,  or  lay 
aside,  external  form,  as  may  be  most  advantageous  to  his 
creatures,  without  leading  those  creatures  into  polytheism, 
or  to  suppose  that  in  his  own  nature  there  must  be  three  per- 
sons ? 

On  the  received  hypothesis  of  the  trinity,  or  viewing  the 
Lord,  as  the  second  person,  how  will  the  personal  identity 
be  sustained,  when  the  scriptural  fact  is  under  considera- 
tion, that  the  word,  which  in  the  beginning  was  God,  in 
the  fulness  of  time  became  man  ?  Or  on  the  arian  hypothe- 
sis, that  the  Word  was  God,  but  not  the  supreme  God,  how 
shall  the  personal  identity  be  preserved,  in  view  of  his 
becoming  man?  Neither  of  these  systems  can  in  the  least 
degree  relieve  the  apparent  embarrassment,  into  which  we 
are  thrown  by  this  change  in  exterior  form.  But  if  Jehovah, 
with  a  view  to  the  exhibition  of  himself  to  the  creatures  he 
intended  to  call  into  being,  should  assume  external  form, 
and  before  their  creation  should  determine  so  to  do,  where 
is  there  any  difficulty?  And  if  any  thing  should  occur  in 
the  history  of  any  portion,  or  class,  of  those  creatures,  in  con- 
sequence of  which  that  personal  exhibition  of  himself  should 
be  too  glorious  for  them  to  behold  ;  is  there  any  difficulty 
then  brought  in,  if  he  should  be  graciously  pleased  to  con- 
descend to  the  infirmities  of  those  creatures,  and  manifest 
himself  in  another  form,  better  suited  to  their  capacities  ?  Or 
must  we  believe  that  the  one  cannot  exist,  when  the  other 
is  proposed,  without  contradiction  or  collision  ?  There  does 
not  appear  to  me  to  be  any  very  distressing  mystery  in  the 
principle  of  such  a  theory:  but  it  would  seem  to  proclaim 
an  act  of  grace,  as  interesting  and  intelligible,  as  it  is  suita- 
ble and  needful. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  67 

But  I  would  go  a  step  further,  and  observe,  that  there  is 
not  only  a.  personal  identity  carefully  displayed,  but  an  iden- 
tity of  "legislative  principle  is  as  distinctly  retained.  The 
object  in  both  the  cases  which  have  been  described,  is  pre- 
cisely the  same.  The  intellectual  perfection,  and  the  spirit- 
ual blessedness  of  man,  are  avowed  as  the  design  of  both 
law  and  gospel.  Any  representative  character  which  may 
be  ascribed  either  to  the  first,  or  to  the  second,  Adam,  looks 
to  the  same  result.  That  is,  the  children  of  men,  under  the 
operation  of  either  the  paradisiacal,  or  mediatorial,  consti- 
tution, can  attain  to  the  joys  of  the  celestial  kingdom,  only 
on  the  principle  of  their  personal  holiness.  Whether  they 
be  called  to  do  or  to  believe,  the  consummation  to  which 
they  look  forward,  must  be  their  likeness  to  God.  And 
when  the  end  shall  come,  their  final  position  shall  be,  such 
as  was  originally  contemplated,  and  as  has  just  been  stated  ; 
they  shall  be  as  the  angels  of  God,  the  peculiarities  of  their 
earthly  existence  shall  be  past  and  gone,  and  God  shall  be 
all  and  in  all.  But  these  remarks  anticipate  the  views, 
which  properly  belong  to  the  mediatorial  constitution  itself. 

And  now,  perhaps,  the  question  may  be  asked,  what  was 
this  form  of  God?  In  attempting  to  meet  this  question,  I 
think  it  necessary  to  remind  you,  that  it  is  no  part  of  my  ob- 
ject to  start  an  original  speculation  on  the  subject  of  god- 
head. My  intention  is,  to  endeavor,  irrespective  of  the 
scholastic  and  mystified  explanations  with  which  contending 
sects  have  filled  the  church,  to  present  what  the  scriptures 
themselves  have  said.  It  would  seem  then,  that  the  form 
of  God,  is  not,  according  to  their  report,  the  essence  of  God  : 
else  the  Lord  could  not  have  laid  it  aside.  Nor  only  so: 
but  when  humbled  to  be  found  in  the  likeness  of  man,  we 
still  hear  the  language  appropriate  to  indwelling  godhead. 
"In  him  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  godhead  bodily." — 
"My  Father  is  in  me." — "The  Father  that  dwelleth  in  me,  he 
doeth  the  works." 

Neither  was  this  form,  the  angelic  nature :  for  while  it  is 
expressly  called  the  form  of  God,  Paul,  in  addition,  tells  us 
that  Christ  did  not  take  on  him  the  nature  of  angels  ;  a  de- 
claration which  could  not  be  made  with  any  propriety,  if  he 
had  assumed  the  nature  of  angels  before.  The  remark  ex- 
cludes their  nature  from  all  connexion  with  the  subject;  or 
in  assuming  the  nature  of  man,  the  apostle  would  have  said, 
Christ  laid  aside,  or  divested  himself  of,  the  nature  of  angels. 
Nor  yet  was  this  form,  that  of  man;  because  the  assump- 


G8  LECTURES  051 

tion  of  human  nature  is  the  very  object,  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  which,  the  form  of  God  was  laid  aside. 

The  corresponding  phrases  which  are  used,  are — si?nili- 
tude  of  God — face  of  God — name  of  God — appearance,  or 
shape  of  God — presence  of  God — God  dwelling  in.  So  that 
there  seems  to  he  no  alternative.  It  is  the  form  in  which 
God  manifests  himself  to  both  angels  and  men,  viewing  the 
latter  as  they  were  originally  constituted,  in  which  the  an- 
gels constantly  behold  him  ;  and  in  which  we  shall  at  last  see 
him,  when  the  interests  and  concerns  of  this  system  shall  be 
wound  up. 

Would  you  press  the  question  any  farther?  Then  the 
scriptures  add,  "God  is  light;" — "Our  God  is  a  consuming 
fire."  Ask  you  more?  Pause  and  reflect.  Remember,  Mo- 
ses could  not  look  and  live.  Remember  Isaiah  bowed  his 
head  and  cried — I  am  undone — mine  eyes  have  seen  the 
king.  Jehovah  of  Hosts  :  Remember,  that  Paul,  caught  up 
into  paradise,  heard  unspeakable  words,  which  it  is  not  law- 
ful for  a  man  to  utter.  "Jehovah  dwells  in  light  which  no 
man  can  approach  unto;  no  man  hath  seen  him,  nor  can 
see  him."  We  must  be  satisfied  with  contemplating  the 
glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ.  There  I  leave 
this  momentous  theme.   The  scriptures  carry  me  no  farther. 


LECTURE  IV. 

Of  God. — The  Father. — The  Holy  Ghost. — Terms  explained, 
—  Views  of  the  personal  operations  of  God  in  relation  to  the 
government  of  man. 

Thus  far.  the  discussion  has  merely  delineated,  as  I  sup- 
pose, the  scriptural  view  of  the  word,  or  Son,  of  God.  The- 
ologians have  denominated  him  the  second  person  of  the 
trinitv.  The  preceding  argument  exhibits  him  as  God  him- 
self, manifested  in  personal  form  ;  and  so  manifested,  be- 
cause that,  the  human  mind  having  no  innate  ideas,  but  de- 
riving its  impressions  from  external  things  through  the  me- 
dium of  the  bodilv  senses,  cannot  see  God,  or  acquire  the 
knowledge  of  God,  in  any  other  way.  I  speak,  of  course, 
of  the  human  mind,  in  its  present  condition,  or  as  dwelling 
in  an  animal  body,  and  surrounded  by  the,  almost  endless, 
varieties  of  a  material  system. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  69 

But  now,  it  may  be  asked,  what  then  shall  be  understood 
by  the  Father,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  ?  For  the  present  I  shall 
adopt  these  terms,  as  most  familiar ;  and  shall  show  them  in 
their  appropriate  place  in  the  mediatorial  system,  when  the 
person  or  being  to  whom  they  respectively  allude,  or  the  per- 
sonality they  are  respectively  intended  to  express,  shall  have 
been  distinctly  recognised.  The  double  manifestation,  one 
in  the  form  of  God,  and  the  other  in  the  likeness  of  man,  will 
then,  not  only  enable  us  to  explain  words  and  phrases,  but 
will  appear  beautifully  proportioned  to  the  character  and 
circumstances  of  men,  whose  interests  Jehovah  intends  to 
advance. 

1.   What  are  we  to  understand  by  the  Father  ? 

No  one,  who  has  bestowed  even  common  attention  on 
the  varied,  yet  continuous,  argument,  which  has  been  given 
in  the  preceding  lectures,  can  be  at  much  loss  to  answer 
this  question.  The  Father  is  of  course  God  himself  : — the 
self-existent  spirit,  the  infinitely  glorious  being,  whom  we 
cannot  see,  and  who  has  been  pleased  to  manifest  himself 
to  his  creatures,  in  appropriate  and  personal  form.  The 
Father,  the  redeemer  said,  is  in  me: — the  Father  that 
dwelleth  in  me,  he  doeth  the  works.  In  Christ,  at  one 
time  says  Paul,  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  godhead  bodi- 
ly ;  and  at  another,  "God  is  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world 
unto  himself.  It  was  Jehovah  who  appeared  to  Abraham, 
and  said,  /  am  Almighty  God.  The  king,  whom  Isaiah  saw, 
was  Jehovah  of  Hosts.  The  Voice  which  Adam  and  Eve 
heard  in  the  garden,  was  the  Voice  of  Jehovah  Elohim.  The 
Word,  in  the  beginning  was  God.  The  idea  is  very  simple. 
There  is  a  God,  all  nature  harmoniously  and  loudly  speaks. 
If  he  then  should  manifest  himself,  in  external  and  personal 
form,  by  what  obliquity  of  mind  can  the  fact  be  so  grievious- 
ly  misunderstood,  as  to  lead  to  the  supposition  that  there 
are  two  gods;  or  to  involve  the  subject  of  his  unity  in  the 
least  difficulty?  By  what  principle  of  fair,  or  philosophic, 
ratiocination,  can  it  possibly  follow  that  there  is  a  supreme, 
and  a  lesser,  God — distinct  and  separate  beings  ?  And  above 
all, — where  is  the  propriety  of  the  speculation,  which,  sup- 
posing it  to  have  become  necessary  that  this  manifestation 
should  be  made  in  the  flesh,  pertinaciously  maintains  that 
no  other  pretensions  are  set  forth,  than  those  which  belong 
to  mere — it  may  be  fiail  and  peccable — humanity?  In  all 
such  evasive   theories,  however  rational  they  may  be  sup- 


70  LECTURES  ON 

posed  to  be,  I  can  discern  nothing  but  a  fragment  of  the  an- 
cient idolatry. 

To  illustrate  the  subject  by  analogy : — If  we  were  dis- 
coursing of  a  mere  human  being,  what  should  we  con- 
sider to  be  the  man  ?  Is  it  not  the  mind — the  intellec- 
tual spirit  ?  Is  not  this  evidently  Paul's  meaning,  when  he 
says — -"If  I  do  that  /  would  not,  it  is  no  more  1  that  do  it, 
but  sin  that  dwelleth  in  me.  I  find  then  a  law  thai  when  I 
would  do  good,  evil  is  present  with  me  ;  for  I  delight  in  the 
law  of  God,  after  the  inner  man  :  but  I  see  another  law  in 
my  members,  warring  against  the  law  of  my  mind,  and  bring- 
ing me  into  captivity  to  the  law  of  sin,  which  is  in  my  mem- 
bers. So  then,  with  the  mind  I  myself  serve  the  law  of  God, 
but  with  the  flesh  the  law  of  sin."*  The  mind  then  is  the 
man — the  being. 

But  if  the  apostle's  expressions  should,  by  any  ingenious 
controvertist,  applying  them  to  some  favorite  speculation, 
be  wrested  from  us,  then  what  shall  be  done  with  the  re- 
deemer's argument  on  the  resurrection  ?     Jehovah  had  pro- 
claimed himself  to  be  the  God  of  Abraham,  of  Isaac  and  of 
Jacob  :  but  said  Jesus,  "God  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but 
of  the  living.,:      These  patriarchs  are  then  still  living,  not- 
withstanding their  bodies  have  long  since  been  committed 
to  the  dust.     Or,  again  to  return  to  the  apostle  Paul,  how 
shall  we  understand  him,  when,  with  a  heart  full  of  heavenly 
anticipations,  he  writes — "We  are  always  confident,  know- 
ing that  whilst  we  are  at  home  in  the    body,  we  are  absent 
from  the  Lord  :   we  are  confident,  I  say,  and  willing  rather 
to  be  absent  from  the  body,  and  to  be  present  with  the  Lord."t 
The  body  is  not  the  man;    but  the  home,  the  tabernacle,  in 
which,  for  the  present  the  man  resides.     Have  we  then  two 
distinct  men,  or  persons — one  supreme  man,  and  one  lesser 
man, — or  are  we  all  body — a  mere  material  lump?     Assur- 
edly the  spirit  is  the  man  ;   and  when  that  spirit  is  clothed 
with  external  form,  without  which  we  could  have  no  know- 
ledge of,  or  intercourse  with,  him,  he  is  still  the  same  being. 
The  fact  of  a  double    manifestation  on  the  part  of  God, 
which  has  been  abundantly  proved,  neither  weakens  nor  per- 
plexes our  analogical  argument;  buton  the  contrary,  affords 
us  an  opportunity  of  extending  its  application.     For,  there 
is  a  natural  body,  and  there  is  a  spiritual  body ;  and  the  change 
which  man  experiences,  in  view  of  those  different  modes  of 
existence,  does  in  no  way  affect  the  identity  of  his  being,  how- 

*Rom.  vii.  14—25.  |2  Cor.  v.  6—8. 


Moral  government.  *7i 

■fever  it  may  modify  his  personal  form,  or  exterior  appear- 
ance. So,  when  the  lord,  who  made  all  things,  and  who 
was  God,  laid  aside  the  form  of  God,  and  took  upon  him  the 
likeness  of  man,  no  argument  can  arise  from  the  glorious 
transaction,  against  the  fact  that  it  is  still  the  same  infinite 
and  eternal  spirit,  manifesting  himself.  Here  then  I  may 
safely  leave  this  interesting  topic,  as  having  been  amply 
illustrated  ; — nothing,  that  I  can  perceive,  is  left  to  torture 
an  humble  and  honest  inquirer.     To  proceed  then  : 

2.  What  shall  we  understand  by  the  Holy  Ghost  ?  Mo- 
ses informs  us,  that  in  the  beginning,  "the  earth  was  without 
form  and  void;  and  darkness  was  upon  the  face  of  the  deep, 
and  the  spirit  of  god  moved  upon  the  face  of  the  waters;" 

I  shall  not  stop  to  meet  the  representations  of  those,  who 
would  tell  us,  that  the  word  here  translated  spirit,  signifies 
wind  ;  and  that  the  appended  words,  of  God,  are  merely  in- 
tended to  express  a, mighty  wind; — as  when  it  is  said,  trees 
of  God,  and  mountains  of  God,  the  meaning  is  tall  trees  and 
great  mountains.  It  is  sufficient  to  observe,  that  in  these 
remarks,  we  have  a  very  good  specimen  of  what  theologians, 
who  glory  much  in  their  literature,  call  criticism.  Many 
sectarian  theologians  repose  a  great  deal  of  confidence  in  cri- 
ticism ;  and  not  unfrequently,  though  unintentionally,  indulge 
in  their  nice  philological  distinctions,  at  the  expense  of  every 
thing  which  can  be  valuable  to  them  as  accountable  beings. 
Whether  there  was  a  great  wind  employed  at  the  time  or 
■not;  or  whether  the  Holy  Ghost  does  not  derive  an  appella- 
tion from  the  air,  as  the  best  symbolic  representation  of  his 
varied  influences,  I  shall  not  delay  to  inquire — nor  would  it  be 
worth  while.  If  the  following  argument  does  not  exhibit  the 
thing  itself,  very  little  could  be  gained  by  exposing  the  imbe- 
cility of  a  mere  verbal  subterfuge  ;  but  should  the  thing  be 
fairly  set  forth,  any  honest  reasoner  would  readily  dispense 
with  his  philology  for  the  sake  of  his  morals ;  or  rather,  he 
would  discover  that  by  mistaking  the  one,  he  has  learned  how 
to  misrepresent  the  other;  and  would  quickly  succeed  in  ad- 
justing any  discrepancy,  which  may  be  apparent,  but  is  not 
real. 

The  general  argument,  on  which  I  am  about  to  enter,  re- 
quires some  preliminary  observations,  which  may  render  it 
more  acceptable,  and  add  not  a  little  to  its  force. 

1.  That  personality  belongs  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  cannot  be 
reasonably  denied,  if  the  following,  and  such  like,  scriptural 
passages  are  deliberately  considered : — "  When  he,  the  Spirit 


72  LECTURES  ON 

of  truth  is  come,  he  will  guide  you  into  all  truth :  for  he 
shall  not  speak  of  himself;  but  whatsoevor  he  shall  hear 
that  shall  he  speak;  and  he  will  show  you  things  to  come. 
He  shall  glorify  me  :  for  he  shall  receive  of  mine,  and  shall 
show  it  unto  you."* — "  While  Peter  thought  on  the  vision, 
the  spirit  said  unto  him,  behold,  three  men  seek  thee.  Arise 
therefore,  and  get  thee  down,  and  go  with  them,  doubting 
nothing  ;  for  I  have  sent  them."i  "  As  they  ministered  to  the 
Lord,  the  Holy  Ghost  said,  separate  me  Barnabas  and  Saul 
for  the  work  whereunto  I  have  called  them. — So  they,  be* 
ing  sent  forth  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  departed  unto  Seleucia."f 

2.  That  the  Holy  Ghost  is  God  is  equally  clear  from  these 
texts; — "The  Father  that  dwelleth  in  me,  he  doth  the 
works:" — "  If  I  by  the  Spirit  of  God  cast  out  devils." — And 
"  Peter  said,  Ananias,  why  hath  Satan  filled  thine  heart,  to 
lie  unto  the  Holy  Ghost?  Thou  hast  not  lied  unto  men, 
but  unto  God." — "  Now  the  Lord  is  that  spirit  ;  and  where 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  liberty. "|| 

3.  The  Holy  Ghost  is  never  represented  in  the  scriptures 
in  any  personal  form.  On  the  banks  of  Jordan  he  descended 
on  Jesus  "in  a  bodily  shape  like  a  dove."  On  the  day  of 
pentecost,  when  the  disciples  were  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 
there  appeared  unto  them  cloven  tongues  like  as  of  fire,  and 
it  sat  upon  each  of  them."  But  in  neither  of  these  cases  was 
personal  form  assumed.  Such  events  may  indicate  the  class 
of  secondary  agents  he  employs,  as  originating  nothing  con- 
cerning himself,  but  taking  of,  and  ministering  about,  the 
things  that  are  Christ's.     They  go  no  further. 

4.  As  the  Holy  Ghost  is  never  said  to  have  assumed  per- 
sonal form,  he  is  never,  for  that  reason,  recognised  in  the 
scriptures,  as  a  distinct  object  of  religious  worship.  The  rea- 
son is  very  evident.  God  is  not  the  object  of  religious  wor- 
ship to  man,  excepting  as  he  is  revealed  in  Christ.  By  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  through  Christ,  we  come  to  the  Father.  The 
necessities  of  the  case,  as  has  already  been  shown,  call  for  a 
manifestation  of  God  in  personal  form.  Without  it,  we  must 
seek  him  in  his  works,  and  worship  him  in  them  ;  which  has 
been  sufficiently  exposed  as  idolatry.  As  then,  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  not  to  be  viewed  in  personal  form,  if  we  recognise 
him  as  a  distinct  object  of  worship,  we  should  be  left  to  a 
like  result,  and  must  bow  to  him  in  a  bible,  a  crucifix,  a  con- 
secrated wafer,  or  a  saint,  which  is  the  most  heartless  of  all 

*John  xvi.  13,  14.  \  Acts  xiii.  2— 4. 

fActs  x.  19—20.  ||  2  Cor.  iii.  17,  18. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  73 

idolatry.  The  ordinance  of  baptism,  recognises  the  matters 
in  which  we  are  to  believe ;  and  the  apostolic  blessing  refers 
to  the  several  characteristics  and  operations,  which  have  been 
set  forth  as  distinguishing  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost;  but 
in  neither  case  is  a  direct  act  of  religious  address  to  the 
Spirit,  as  such,  either  expressed  or  implied.  Nor  yet  does 
the  redeemer  hint  at  such  a  service,  when  he  tells  the  Jews, 
that  all  men  are  required  "to  honor  the  Son,  even  as  they 
honor  the  Father."  No,  nor  yet  Paul,  when  contrasting 
Christianity  with  the  heathen  mythology,  in  view  of  their  res- 
pective objects  of  worship: — "  To  us,"  says  he,  "  there  is  one 
God,  even  the  Father,  and  one  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  And  even 
the  heathen,  though  they  had  many  gods  and  many  lords, 
yet  had  but  these  two  classes  of  objects  of  worship ;  seeming- 
ly intimating  that  the  fact  has  been,  from  the  beginning, 
just  as  I  have  stated  it. — I  presume  that  it  is  distinctly  re- 
membered, that  in  these  remarks  reference  is  made  to  the  Ho- 
ly Ghost,  as  distinguished  from  the  Father. 

Having  offered  these  preliminary  remarks,  I  proceed  with 
the  question  before  us — what  is  the  Holy  Ghost  ?  I  must, 
however,  be  indulged  with  the  liberty  of  taking,  what  may 
seem  to  be,  a  circuitous  route,  in  order  to  answer  it.  As  the 
idea,  which  I  shall  offer  in  solution  of  this  universally  conced- 
ed mystery,  may  be  treated  as  my  own,  I  must  be  permitted 
to  choose  my  method  of  representing  it. 

When  the  apostle  Paul  wrote  his  first  epistle  to  the  Co- 
rinthians, among  other  things,  he  noticed  a  particular  case  of 
crime  which  had  occurred  among  them  ;  in  reference  to 
which  they  had  not  conducted  themselves  either  discreetly 
or  faithfully.  This  case  he  undertakes  to  adjudicate:— "I 
verily,"  he  says,  "as  absent  in  body,  but  present  in  spirit,  have 
judged  already,  as  though  I  were  present,  concerning  him 
that  hath  so  done  this  deed;  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  when  ye  are  gathered  together  and  my  spirit,  with 
the  power  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  deliver  such  an  one 
to  Satan."*  What  is  the  import  of  this  singular  language  ? 
In  what  way  could  Paul's  spirit  be  in  the  corinthian  church, 
when  his  body  was  absent  ?  The  common-place  idea,  that 
a  man  can  translate  his  thoughts  thousands  of  miles  in  an 
instant,  will  not  explain  the  apostolic  phrase;  because  those 
distant  objects,  which  might  interest  his  feelings,  could  not, 
in  that  case,  be  in  any  manner  conscious  of  his  intellectual 
operations.     The  fact  would  be  quite  different  in  the  corin- 

•  1  Cor.  t.  3—5. 

7 


74  LECTURES  ON 

thian  church  :  it  would  be,  to  use  the  apostle's  own  language^ 
"as  though  he  were  present."  The  whole  assembly  would 
have  felt  "as  though  he  were  present;"  and  the  disciplinary 
process  would  have  been  conducted,  "as  though  he  weie  pre- 
sent." From  the  force  and  feeling  of  his  official  authority, 
there  was  no  escape. 

A.  similar  idea  is  advanced  bv  the  same  apostle,  when  he 
reports  the  faith  of  Abel.— "By  faith  Abel  offered  unto 
God,"  he  says,  "a  more-excellent  sacrifice  than  Cain  ;  and  by 
it,  he  being  dead,  yet  speaketh"  One  age  lives  on  the  thoughts 
excogitr  ted  by  the  spirits  of  some  other  preceding  age.  The 
spirits  of  the  fathers,  hover  around  the  summit  of  Zion,  and 
are  conjured  into  our  sanctuaries  and  ecclesiastical  courts, 
to  frown  on  every  man  who  dares  to  think  for  himself;  and 
to  visit  on  his  guilty  head  the  sad  consequences  of  heresy. 
By  creeds  and  catechisms,  and  ponderous  tomes  of  lofty 
pretensions,  they,  being  dead,  yet  speak.  It  is  perfectly 
astonishing  how  far  such  influence  is  exerted,  and  with  what 
easy  credulity,  men  submit  their  own  immortal  minds  to  its 
destructive  control. 

A  friend  writes  a  letter,  or  publishes  a  book.  His  spirit 
is  seen,  is  felt,  in  every  sentence,  in  every  line.  The  reader 
discerns  the  attributes  of  his  character,  and  not  unfiequent- 
ly  fancies  that  he  hears  the  tones  of  his  friend's  voice. 

An  individual  of  political,  literary,  or  official  merit,  may 
be  so  distinctly  felt  in  the  community  to  which  he  belongs, 
as  to  command  universal  admiration  for  some  signal  service 
he  has  rendered.  Or  he  may  be  envied  for  his  superior  at- 
tainments and  standing ;  and  be  reproached  and  maligned 
by  multitudes,  who  had  not  grace  enough  to  acknowledge 
their  obligations  to  him.  But  when  the  rude  hand  of  death 
shall  have  dissolved  the  tie  that  bound  him  to  an  ungrateful 
world,  envy  retires,  suspicion  sleeps,  and  his  voice  is  heard 
with  deliberate  and  respectful  attention.     His  spirit  speaks. 

A  prince,  screened  from  public  gaze  within  his  own 
palace,  or  seldom  leaving  the  metropolis  of  his  empire,  yet 
exerts  a  powerful  influence — legislative,  military,  or  other- 
wise— to  the  utmost  extent  of  his  dominions.  His  spirit 
pervades  every  department  in  his  administration  ;  and  mil- 
lions, who  never  saw  him,  respectfully  mention  his  name, 
submissively  bow  to  the  symbols  of  his  authority,  and  en- 
thusiastically eulogise  his  virtues.  They  would  fight,  they 
would  bleed,  they  would  die,  for  his  honor;  and,  for  his 
gratification,  would  chant  the  praises  of  a  victory,  that  would 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  TO 

leave,  to  many  a  bereaved  widow  and  houseless  orphan,  their 
tears  as  their  meat  night  and  day.  Social  influence  is  one 
of  the  most  powerful  springs  of  human  action,  productive, 
at  one  time,  of  a  thousand  blessings  ;  and  at  another,  the  pa- 
rent of  as  many  ills. 

But  we  must  take  another  and  a  farther  view  of  Paul's 
spirit.  He  gloried  in  a  hope  beyond  this  life  ;  and  in  scenes 
of  bliss  and  glory,  amidst  which  his  spirit  should  dwell,  when 
his  martyred  body  should  rest  in  the  dust.  How  does  he 
speak,  when  this  subject  occupied  his  thoughts  and  employ- 
ed his  pen?  "I  knew  a  man  in  Christ  fourteen  years  ago,"  he 
said,  '-'and  of  such  an  one  will  I  glory, — I  knew  such  an  one 
caught  up  into  the  third  heavens  ;  how  that  he  heard  unspeak- 
able words,  which  it  is  not  lawful  for  a  man  to  utter. ;: 
Whether  "he  was  in  the  body,  I  cannot  tell,  or  whether  he 
was  out  of  the  body  I  cannot  tell."  In  what  way  these  un- 
speakable words  were  communicated  to  him,  or  what  was 
the  mode  or  manner  of  action  in  which  his  spirit  was  em- 
ployed, he  could  not  explain.  Perception,  by  means  of  our 
external  senses,  he  could  readily  have  stated;  but  percep- 
tion, in  the  case  described,  or  when  the  spirit  reaches  its  ce- 
lestial atmosphere,  he  was  unable  to  define. 

Ardently  did  he  desire  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ. 
Amidst  all  his  earthly  troubles,  his  spirit  rose  into  communion 
with  his  beloved  master,  and  coveted  to  be  absent  from  the 
body  and  to  be  present  with  the  Lord.  Then,  like  Abra- 
ham, Isaac  and  Jacob,  of  whose  etherial  essence  and  celes- 
tial destiny  the  sadducees  seemed  to  be  so  stupidly  ignorant, 
he  should  live  and  behold  and  praise  his  glorified  redeemer. 
In  heaven  independent  of  this  material  tabernacle,  be- 
yond whose  powers  the  spirit  now  perceives  no  objects, 
hears  no  melody,  and  accomplishes  no  designs,  it  shall  exert 
all  its  faculties.  What  then,  if  the  spirit  of  Paul,  which  had 
been  burdened  with  the  care  of  all  the  churches  while  on 
earth,  should  even  now  hover  over  our  altars,  and  feel  the 
deepest,  but  a  melancholy,  interest  in  our  distractions? — 
Though  invisible  to  us,  we  would  in  such  a  case,  speak 
of  his  personal  presence. 

But  if  this  cannot  be,  still  we  know  that  angels  acting 
out  a  celestial  character,  living,  moving  and  operating  on 
the  principles  of  celestial  existence,  are  appointed  to  a  minis- 
try on  account  of  the  heirs  of  salvation.  They  encamp 
round  them  that  fear  the  Lord,  and  watch  over  many  a 
timid,  trembling,  desponding  child  of  grace.     How  far  their 


76  LECTURES  ON 

agency  may  extend,  or  what  various  concerns  may  fall  with- 
in their  range,  no  one  can  fully  tell.  It  is  the  fact  that  I 
wish  to  be  distinctly  noticed,  and  which  is  my  reliance  in 
following  out  my  subject. 

Having  stated  the  scriptural  facts  in  relation  to  intellec- 
tual creatures,  so  far  as  they  are  relevant  to  the  object  of  our 
present  inquiry,  I  shall  next  endeavor  to  ascertain,  whether 
Jehovah  offers  any  analogous  representation  of  himself?  For 
if  we  shall  find  that  a  train  of  influences  or  operations,  cor- 
respondent with  those  which  have  been  predicated  of  cre- 
ated spirits,  is  ascribed  to  him;  while  at  the  same  time,  his 
personal,  though  invisible,  presence  is  distinctly  and  unde- 
niably affirmed,  nothing  farther  can  be  desired. 

Man,  it  is  said  in  the  bible,  was  made  in  the  image  of  God. 
There  can,  therefore,  be  nothing  either  extravagant  or  im- 
probable in  the  idea,  that  God  is  like  man.  More  particu- 
larly will  it  seem  to  be  rational  and  satisfactory,  when  we 
recollect  that  the  special  doctrine  of  a  mediator  is,  that  he 
who  was  in  the  form  of  God,  was  made  in  the  likeness  of men ; 
and  that  it  behoved  him  in  all  things  to  be  like  untohis  brethren, 
that  he  might  be  a  merciful  and  faithful  high  priest."  The 
point  of  resemblance  has  been  supposed  to  be  purely  intel- 
lectual or  moral.  Hence  the  explanation  of  the  image  of  God, 
as  man  was  created  in  it,  has  been  said  to  consist  in  ''know- 
ledge, righteousness,  and  true  holiness."  Admitting  this 
view  to  be  correct,  the  analogy,  of  which  we  are  in  quest, 
would  then  exist  in  the  intellectual  operations,  or  in  the  ac- 
tion of  spirit,  ascribed  to  God  and  man  ;  of  course  the  influ- 
ences of  the  spirit  of  man,  which  have  been  so  particularly 
detailed,  would  lead  us  to  infer  similar  influences  exerted  by 
Jehovah.  Then  the  fact  of  those  influences,  analogically 
traced,  as  far  as  the  representations  previously  made  of  the 
spirit  of  man  would  allow  us  to  go,  would  explain  the  whole 
scriptural  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

But  let  us  hear  Moses  himself  on  this  subject  of  the  di- 
vine image  ?  He  reports  the  matter  thus  : — "And  the  elo- 
him  said,  let  us  make  man  in  our  image,  after  our  likeness." 
It  is  not  God  abstractedly  considered,  it  is  not  the  Father 
viewed  in  and  of  himself  a  pure  Spirit,  whom  man  re- 
sembles ;  but  he  is  made  like  the  Elohim.  What  then  is 
meant  by  the  Elohim  ?  First,  God  is  a  Spirit;  so  also  is 
man.  Secondly,  God  has  manifested  himself,  or,  as  a  spirit, 
he  dwells  in  external  form.  The  fact  is  the  same  with  man  : 
his  spirit  inhabits  a  body.     So  then  we  have  a  double  resem- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  77 

blance.  And  may  there  not  be  a  third  1  May  not  God  as 
a  Spirit,  considered  as  manifested  in  external  form,  act  in- 
dependently of  that  form,  as  the  spirit  of  man  does;  and 
may  not  a  doctrine  of  influences,  large,  important,  and  va- 
ried, which  he  shall  personally  superintend  or  sustain,  en- 
sue ?  Should  this  be  the  fact,  would  it  not  explain,  would 
it  not  in  truth  be,  the  very  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Ghost  ?  Can 
any  thing  farther  be  desired,  to  place  the  whole  subject  in 
clear  and  intelligible  exposition  ? 

To  the  law,  and  to  the  testimony,  then.  The  apostle  Paul 
evidently  states,  and  with  considerable  precision,  the  view 
of  the  Spirit  of  God,  which  has  been  inferred  by  analogy. — 
"The  Spirit,"  he  says,  "searcheth  all  things,  yea  the 
deep  things  of  God.  For  what  man  knoweth  the  things  of 
a  man,  save  the  spirit  of  man  which  is  in  him?  Even  so  the 
things  of  God  knoweth  no  man,  but  the  Spirit  of  God."* 
This  is  certainly  writing  in  terms  which  are  very  plain  and 
positive ;  and  the  very  analogy,  by  which  I  have  endeavor- 
ed to  illustrate  our  subject,  is  thus  employed  as  the  best,  if  not 
the  only  one,  by  which  the  inspired  writer  could  explain 
himself  to  the  apprehension  of  his  readers.  The  spirit  of 
man,  within  him,  carefully  reflects  on  the  purposes  he  has 
formed,  and  the  circumstances  under  which  those  purposes 
are  to  be  developed.  In  like  manner  the  Spirit  of  God, — 
within  the  form  that  he  has  assumed,  shall  I  say? — reflects 
upon,  carefully  considers,  and  ofttimes  reviews,  the  various 
designs  of  mercy  he  has  proclaimed  ;  as  well  as  their  most 
gracious  and  effectual  application  to  the  changing  condition 
of  human  things.  The  same  general  doctrine  is  taught  by 
the  Lord  himself,  when  he  promised  to  his  disciples,  that  he 
would  send  them  the  Holy  Spirit.  "Howbeit,"  said  he, 
"when  he,  the  Spirit  of  truth  is  come,  he  shall  guide  you 
into  all  truth  :  for  he  shall  not  speak  of  himself,  but  what- 
soever he  shall  hear,  that  shall  he  speak."  Hearing  and 
reflection,  both  of  which  are  ascribed  to  the  Spirit  of  God, 
may  well  go  together,  and  are  very  happily  sustained  by  the 
analogy  which  is  selected. 

1  shall  then  be  chargeable  with  no  presumption,  nor  yet 
with  a  puerile  yielding  to  an  errant  fancy,  if  I  should  now 
call  up  and  apply,  the  particular  cases  of  intellectual  opera- 
tion, in  which  the  spirit  of  man  is  known  to  act,  independ- 
ently of  its  bodily  form.  We  now  no  longer  know  Christ  af- 
ter the  flesh.  "The  heavens  must  receive  him  until  the 
*1  Cor.  ii.  10,  11. 


78  LECTURES  ON 

times  of  restitution  of  all  things."  But  his  spirit  is  with 
us.— I  mean  not  his  human  spirit,  though  even  in  that  ap- 
plication, our  argument  would  be  sustained.  But  he  is  God 
manifested  in  the  flesh ;  and  therefore  the  reference  is  to 
the  Spirit  of  God.  The  Spirit  of  truth  is  abroad,  convincing 
the  world  of  sin,  of  righteousness  and  of  judgment.  And 
who  does  not  feel  the  fact?  Whose  heart  does  not  feel  the 
attractions  of  his  grace?  Whose  soul  does  not  tremble 
under  the  denunciations  of  his  wrath? 

Nor  only  so.  Jesus,  while  on  earth,  though  felt  through- 
out Judea,  in  the  synagogue,  in  the  temple,  in  the  sanhe- 
drim, in  Herod's  court,  in  Pilate's  chamber,  yet  was  an  ob- 
ject of  envy,  of  reproach,  of  malignant  revenge.  His  fol- 
lowers were  few.  The  fickle  multitude,  early  assembled, 
were  as  quickly  dispersed.  One  disciple  betrayed  him  ;  an- 
other denied  him  ;  the  rest  forsook  him  and  fled.  A  few 
devoted  females  wept  at  his  cross,  or  were  early  at  his  sepul- 
chre. An  astonished  centurion  confessed  his  power ;  and 
an  expiring  robber  sued  for  his  mercy.  But  what  more  ? — 
He  said  himself  to  his  disciples — "it  is  expedient  for  you 
that  I  go  away;  for  if  I  goxxot  away,  the  Comforter  will  not 
come."  He  went,  and  the  Spirit  came.  With  what  pow- 
er the  apostles  spake  !  What  mighty  works  they  performed  ! 
What  land  did  they  not  penetrate  ?  What  philosophy  did 
they  not  confound?  What  mitred  priest  did  they  not  hum- 
ble ?  What  idol  god  did  not  totter  on  his  base  ?  Do  I  say 
more  than  the  facts  in  the  case  will  warrant,  in  remark- 
ing, that  a  much  greater  amount  of  practical  moral  influence 
was  felt  after  the  redeemer's  death,  than  while  he  lived  ? 

Books,  as  the  instrument  of  intellectual  power,  have  also 
been  adduced,  as  an  illustration  on  this  subject.  Holy  men 
of  God  have  written  it.  They  have  written  it,  as  they  were 
moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  what  honest  mind  does 
not  perceive  and  feel  the  Spirit  of  God,  in  every  sentence, 
in  every  line  ?  Or  can  there  be  any  thing  more  unseemly 
than  to  be  heard  praying  for  the  Spirit,  while  we  put  the 
scriptures  out  of  the  way,  traduce  them  as  unintelligible, 
seek  not  to  be  intimately  acquainted  with  them,  or  substi- 
tute in  their  place,  avowedly  or  virtually,  the  books  of  con- 
troveisial  and  embittered  theologians?  What  a  spectacle  in 
an  age  of  revivals; — in  a  period  when  every  sect  has  bosom- 
ed within  itself  the  principles  of  its  own  dissolution  ? 

In  like  manner  the  Son  of  God  may  be  viewed  as  an  ex- 
alted Prince,  seated  on  his  throne — in  glory — at  the  right 
hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high — far  out  of  our  sight — not  per- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  79 

sonally  seen  on  earth.  But  his  Spirit  is  in  all  parts  of  his 
mediatorial  dominions.  Every  old  testament  prophet — every 
new  testament  apostle — every  humble  saint  has  the  Spirit  of 
Christ  in  him  :  all  the  world  is  under  his  tuition,  and  every 
unbeliever  resists  his  grace,  and  foolishly  courts  his  wrath. 

But  all  this  argues,  it  may  be  said,  mere  influence;  and 
may  be  resolved  into  a  mere  emanation,  without  evincing 
any  personality.  Suppose  that  such  be  the  fact.  Is  there 
any  thing  in  the  scriptures,  or  in  the  systems  of  popular 
theology  which  men  laud  with  so  much  fulsome  adulation, 
to  forbid  us  to  speak  of  the  Spirit's  influence  1  Or  has  our 
schedule  of  familiar  analogies  yet  run  out?  Was  not  the 
spirit  of  Paul  traced  to  its  heavenly  habitation,  "shining  in 
full  glory,"  personally  enjoying  his  saviour's  love,  though 
his  body  is  in  the  grave?  Have  not  angels  been  adduced, 
as  ministering  spirits,  acting  on  the  principles  of  the  celes- 
tial world  ?  And  above  all,  may  we  not  thus  speak  of  the 
Spirit  of  God — who  is  every  where  present — invisibly,  yet 
personally,  superintending  all  the  widely  diversified  interests 
of  the  mediatorial  empire  ?  To  this  point,  it  has  been  my 
object,  to  carry  this  discussion;  and  it  has  never  been  lost 
sight  of  for  a  single  moment.  The  spirit  of  the  believer, 
singing  the  praises,  and  shouting  the  alleluias  of  redeeming 
love,  while  yet  his  bodily  lips  are  sealed  in  death,  is  not  a 
mere  emanation  from  an  annihilated,  or  mouldered  being.  It 
is  the  man  himself,  in  spotless  robes,  and  with  his  golden 
harp,  fully  conscious  of  his  own  identity. 

The  scriptural  view  of  God,  which,  if  I  mistake  not,  has 
been  very  distinctly  ascertained,  is  then  simply  this  : — The 
Father,  is  God  himself,  considered  as  he  is  in  his  own  be- 
ing,— an  infinite,  invisible,  eternal  Spirit:  The  Word,  or 
Son,  is  God  himself,  as  he  has  assumed,  and  is  revealed  in, 
personal  form,  with  the  view  of  manifesting  himself  unto  his 
intelligent  creatures,  that  they  might  enjoy  personal  inter- 
course with  him.  The  Holy  Ghost  is  God  himself,  acting 
invisibly,  yet  personally,  in  his  providential  superintendence 
over  his  works.  Every  one  can  distinctly  perceive  in  this 
delineation,  that  there  is  but  one  God  ;  and  no  one  can  feel 
any  necessity  to  advance  the  inexplicable  dogma,  that  there 
are  three  persons  in  one  God.  No  philosopher  would  ever 
describe  man  as  three  persons,  and  but  one  man;  yet  the 
same  three-fold  view  can  very  consistently  be  taken  of  man. 
Or  if  any  sophist,  vain  of  his  power  of  philosophic  refine- 
ment, should  so  represent  the  human  being,  the  world  would 


80  LECTURES  ON 

leave  him  to  his  self-gratulation,  and  mind  their  own  busi- 
ness, under  the  guidance  of  thejr  own  common  sense  ap- 
prehensions. But  the  subject  of  godhead  has  been  so  mys- 
tified by  the  ancient  philosophy,  either  oriental  or  grecian-; 
and  so  obscured  by  men,  who,  offended  with  the  grossness 
of  the  vulgar  idolatry,  diverged  into  most  extravagant  spe- 
culation ;  or  so  uniformly  represented,  as  incomprehensibly 
mysterious,  by  theologians  who  were  deceived  by  a  false 
philosophy,  and  scarcely  ever  thought  of  breaking  away  from 
its  trammels  ;  that  mankind  have  helplessly  mistaken  their 
unintelligible  statements  for  good  sense,  and  scriptural 
truth.     At  least  so  the  thing  appears  to  me. 

But  if  we  had  not  reached  a  conclusion  so  rational  and 
simple,  yet  it  is  evident,  that  the  three-fold  view  of  God, 
which  the  scriptures  so  clearly  state,  arises  entirely  from  the 
manifestation  which  he  has  made  of  himself  to  his  creatures. 
As  to  God,  considered  in  his  own  being,  he  is,  said  Jesus, 
a  Spirit.  There  are  not,  there  cannot  be,  three  persons  in 
a  Spirit.  Predicated  of  the  human  spirit,  the  absurdity  of 
such  an  idea  would  immediately  appear :  and  no  analogy 
could  be  pointed  out  in  any  direction.  Nor  is  the  notion 
of  Sabellius  a  whit  better;  while  that  of  Arius  must  be  con- 
demned by  its  own  terms.  For  which  of  the  phrases — three 
persons — three  portions — a  supreme  God  and  a  lesser  God 
— would  be  most  appropriate,  in  commenting  on  the  scriptu- 
ral view  which  has  been  presented? 

The  precise  use  of  the  terms,  however,  that  have  been 
employed  in  the  scriptures  on  this  subject,  has  not  yet  been 
pointed  out :  and  there  may  be  a  necessity  that  this  should 
be  done,  in  order  to  possess  a  full  apprehension  of  the 
whole  matter.  Then,  suffer  me  to  call  up  to  your  recollec- 
tion the  fact,  which  has  been  so  variously  illustrated,  that 
the  bible  has  noticed  two  distinct  personal  manifestations, 
which  Jehovah  has  made  of  himself.  One  in  the  form  of 
God,  and  the  other  in  the  form  of  man :  one  as  creator,  and 
the  other  as  redeemer.  When  agents  derive  their  names 
from  the  operations  they  conduct,  from  the  object  they  have 
in  view,  or  from  the  circumstances  under  which  they  act, 
those  names  may  change  ;  or  they  may  not  be  equally  ap- 
plicable to,  or  expressive  of,  every  mode  of  operation,  or 
every  phase  of  character,  or  every  form  of  social  relation, 
in  which  we  may  be  required  to  contemplate  these  agents. 
Man  is  a  generic  term.  But  all  men  are  not  magistrates, 
bishops,   civilians,   or   physicians.     So    here.     The    terms, 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  8 1 

which  are  used  in  reference  to  God  as  manifested  to  us,  are 
not  equally  appropriate  to  every  view,  in  which  his  charac- 
ter, work,  or  official  relations,  are  set  forth.  Word,  King, 
Lord,  Image,  Glory,  are  appellation,  which  belong  to  both 
manifestations,  because  the  general  principle,  they  are  in- 
tended to  express,  is  equally  characteristic  of  both.  The 
phrase  form  of  God,  can  be  properly  applied  only  to  the 
first.  The  phrase  form  or  likeness  of  man,  with  the  words 
Jesus,  Christ,  Saviour,  Prophet,  Priest,  Captain,  can  only 
be  applied  to  the  second. 

So  also  the  terms  Father,  Son,  Holy  Ghost,  which  I  have 
used,  throughout  this  lecture,  on  account  of  their  familiarity, 
belong  to  the  mediatorial  manifestation,  and  not  to  the  origin- 
al view  which  God  gave  of  himself.  This  remark  may  not  at 
first  appear  strictly  accurate;  because  such  passages  as  the 
following  may  seem  to  be  in  direct  hostility  to  it: — "God 
hath  in  these  last  days  spoken  unto  us  by  his  Son,  by  whom 
also  he  made  the  worlds:" — "Jesus  Christ,  the  same  yester- 
day, to-day,  and  forever."  I  have  not  been  careful  in  the 
selection  of  examples,  in  which  the  supposed  conflict  with 
my  remark  may  apparently  exist;  because  I  intend  to  make 
but  one  explanatory  observation:  and  it  is  this; — that  the 
scriptures  evidently  show  great  concern  to  preserve  in  our 
minds,  the  idea  of  personal  identity  in  view  of  the  two-fold 
manifestation  of  which  they  speak.  This  consideration, 
highly  important  in  itself,  and  affording  an  irrefutable  argu- 
ment in  favor  of  the  divinity  of  our  saviour,  would  readily 
explain,  and  remove  such  seeming  discrepancies.  The 
Word,  which  was  in  the  beginning,  was  made  flesh : — the  se- 
cond Adam  is  the  Lord  from  Heaven.  You  never  hear  Jesus 
say,  referring  to  the  divine  nature,  as  characteristic  of  his 
mediatorship, — "The  Son  of  God  who  dwelleth  in  me,  he 
doeth  the  works  ;"  though  he  does  make  such  a  remark  of  the 
Father  dwelling  in  him.  You  never  hear  him  say,  alluding 
to  his  divine  nature, — "  If  I  by  the  Son  of  God  cast  out  de- 
vils ;"  though  he  does  say,  that  he  did  cast  out  devils  by  the 
Spirit  of  God. — On  the  contrary  he  says,  "The  Son  can 
do  nothing  of  himself : — I  can  of  mine  own  self  do  nothing; 
as  I  hear  I  judge."  The  terms  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost, 
I  feel  perfectly  safe  in  repeating  the  remark — are  then  strict- 
ly applicable  to  the  second  manifestation  alone  ;  and  arise 
from  the  following  circumstances:  Jesus  had  no  earthly  fa- 
ther. God  was  his  father :  hence  then  the  relation  of  Fa- 
ther  and  Son. — Again.     There  is  an  evil  spirit,  which  reigns 


82  LECTURES  ON 

in  the  hearts  of  the  children  of  disobedience; — the  God  of 
the  world — the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air.  In  opposition 
to  whom,  and  in  reference  to  the  better,  to  the  heavenly  and 
purifying,  influence  exerted  in  the  divine  providence,  the 
Spirit  of  God  is  denominated  the  Holy  Ghost. 

In  regard  of  the  first  manifestation,  the  terms  which  are 
used,  and  which,  at  the  same  time,  are  equally  applicable  to 
the  second,  are  Jehovah,  Word,  and  Spirit.  And  they  are 
as  demonstrably  expressive  of  the  scriptural  doctrine,  which 
has  been  advanced,  as  the  terms  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost 
can  be.  The  opponent,  who  may  be  offended,  because  his 
own  ideas  are  not  sustained,  may  criticise  my  use  of  terms, 
but  the  principle  is  preserved  in  all  its  distinctive  force  and 
character. 

I  have  farther  to  observe,  that  in  view  of  this  two  fold  man- 
ifestation, there  are  two  distinct  works  ascribed  to  God — 
creation  and  reconciliation;  there  are  also,  in  the  same  con- 
nexion, two  different  conditions  spoken  of,  in  which  man  is 
personally  exhibited — innocence  and  sin;  and  there  are  two 
distinct  forms  of  government  described,  under  which  man  has 
been  placed — law  and  gospel.  These  several  particulars  I 
would  class  thus  :  1.  Jehovah,  Word,  and  Spirit — creation — 
man  in  innocence — law.  2.  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost — 
reconciliation — man  in  sin — gospel.  These  various  sub- 
jects could  not  be  kept,  each  in  its  respective  place,  in  the 
preceding  discussion  ;  because  the  general  matter  of  trinity, 
which  belongs  to  both  classes,  was  under  consideration:  and 
the  course  of  the  argument,  which  has  been  pursued,  required 
that  this  matter  should  be  viewed  in  all  its  bearings.  There 
are  some  things  yet  belonging  to  the  subject  of  trinity,  which 
have  not  been  mentioned  ;  and  particularly  in  reference  to 
the  mediatorial  manifestation.  They  will  be  best  illustrated 
when  we  shall  have  reached  the  mediatorial  constitution  it- 
self, as  it  is  drawn  out  in  the  third  chapter. 

Before  this  lecture  is  closed,  however,  we  may  call  up 
again,  for  the  purpose  of  farther  illustration,  the  object  which 
Jehovah  designed  to  accomplish  by  these  manifestations  of 
himself.  Some  things  have  been  brought  to  light,  in  the  re- 
citation of  the  biblical  texts  that  have  been  quoted,  which  I 
have  omitted  to  notice,  intentionally  reserving  them  for  a 
separate  argument,  in  the  conclusion  of  this  exercise. 

It  has  been  rendered  very  evident,  as  I  think,  that  the  ne- 
cessity for  such  divine  manifestations  is  to  be  traced  to  the 
constitution  of  human  nature.     God  is  a  Spirit  and  man  can- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT1;  S3 

fcot  see  him.  Yet,  that  we  should  have  personal  intercourse 
with  him,  is  an  idea  equally  natural,  rational  and  desirable. 
As  intellectual  beings,  material  things  cannot  possibly  be- 
come the  ultimate  object,  either  of  our  thought  or  feeling. 
We  rise  to  the  intellectual  world,  and  to  the  moral  relations 
which  belong  to  it,  by  the  impulse  of  our  being.  Atheism 
is  pure  absurdity  all  round.  Then  it  results,  that  Jehovah 
must  occupy  such  an  attitude  with  regard  to  us,  as  will  make 
this  personal  intercourse  practicable  and  pleasant.  And  as 
he  denounces  idolatry  as  highly  criminal,  while  its  own  his- 
tory betrays  it  to  be  degrading  in  the  very  extreme;  he  has 
not  taught  us,  either  by^the  attributes  of  our  own  nature,  by 
the  analogies  of  his  works,  or  by  any  scriptural  or  oral  reve- 
lation, that  his  object  can  be  obtained  in  any  other  way  than 
by  his  assuming  personal  form.  And  even  then  if  this  personal 
form,  so  assumed,  has  no  correspondence  with  our  indivi- 
dual powers  of  perception,  the  object  in  view  cannot  be  at- 
tained :  the  aspirations  of  our  immortal  nature  remain  unsat- 
isfied; and  we  are  driven  back  to  degrade  ourselves  amid  the 
sensualities  of  the  material  world. 

Admitting  then  such  a  personal  form  to  have  been  assumed, 
and  with  the  explicit  design  of  placing  the  knowledge  of  God 
within  our  reach,  can  our  knowledge  of  God  go  beyond  that 
exhibition?  If  we  can  pretend  to  any  thing  more  than  con- 
jecture, when  we  attempt  to  transcend  such  o  manifestation  ; 
or  if,  in  making  such  pretensions,  our  views  should  be  either 
distinct  or  accurate,  would  it  not  then  follow  that  the  exhi- 
bition itself  is  incomplete,  is  not  commensurate  with  our 
nature  ?  Again,  then  the  object  in  view  would  be  lost.  But 
philosophers  and  divines,  have  trifled  with  the  human  mind, 
by  mistaking  the  terms  in  which  Deity  speaks  of  himself;  or 
by  disregarding  the  application,  in  which  he  employs  those 
terms,  they  have,  by  a  series  of  incomprehensible  and  un^ 
profitable  abstractions,  converted  into  pure  mystery,  "that 
which  may  be  known  of  God."  They  have  talked  about,  and 
reasoned  from,  omniscience,  omnipresence,  omnipotence, 
goodness  and  justice,  as  though  they  could  judge  of  them 
otherwise  than  by  "the  things  which  are  made,"  or  which, 
in  the  kind  providence  of  God,  have  become  "visible."  And 
all  this  they  have  done,  at  the  same  time  that  they  were  con- 
scious, they  could  not  have  accurately  judged  of  the  intel- 
lectual powers  of  a  fellow  man,  but  by  his  work. 

Some  scriptural  declarations,  which  the  preceding   argu- 
ment has  thrown  in  our  way,  appear  to  me,  not  only  strongly 


84  LECTURES  ON 

to  bear  upon,  but  most  happily  to  illustrate,  the  important 
topic,  thus  again  called  up.  I  refer  to  them  with  considera- 
ble confidence,  because  they  seem  to  be  peculiarly  appropri- 
ate. 

1.  God  says  to  Moses, — "  I  appeared  to  Abraham,  to 
Isaac,  and  to  Jacob,  as  Almighty  God.  Again  he  says — 
"By  my  name,  Jehovah,  I  was  not  known  unto  them." 
Now  the  facts  in  the  case  are,  that  God  did  appear  to  Abra- 
ham, to  Isaac  and  to  Jacob,  in  the  form  of  a  man:  and  that 
he  did  appear  to  Moses  on  the  mount,  in  a  form,  the  face 
whereof,  Moses  could  not  see  and  live.  The  particular  cir- 
cumstance to  which  I  would  call  your  attention,  is  that 
while  Moses  could  not  see  Jehovah  in  one  form,  in  the 
other,  the  form  of  a  man,  he  appeared  to  Abraham,  Isaac 
and  Jacob,  as  Almighty  God.  So  he  said  to  Abraham, 
when  he  did  appear,  I  am  Almighty  God,  walk  before  me, 
and  be  thou  perfect."  Where  then  are  the  proportions, 
what  is  the  moral  symmetry,  between  Almighty  God  and 
the  form  of  man,  on  which  an  intelligent,  sanctified,  chris- 
tian spirit  may  dwell  with  satisfaction  and  profit? 

When  Jehovah  promised  to  Abraham  that  a  son,  in  whom 
his  seed  should  be  called,  should  be  born  unto  him,  some 
doubt  was  expressed,  or  betrayed,  in  relation  to  the  possi- 
bility, or  probability  of  the  promise  ever  being  fulfilled,  and 
then  the  question  was  asked,  "  Is  any  thing  too  hard  for 
the  Lord?"  Has  he  not  power?  Will  he  fail  to  fulfil  his 
word?  When  again,  at  a  moment  peculiarly  interesting, 
and  well  calculated  to  try  the  patriarch's  faith,  he  was  com- 
manded to  offer  his  son  in  sacrifice,  he  immediately  obeyed 
the  divine  summons;  "accounting,"  says  Paul,  "that  God 
was  able  to  raise  from  the  dead."  Such  are  the  accompa- 
nying phrases  and  facts,  which  the  history  affords,  of  the 
good  man's  faith  in  the  exhibition  which  had  been  made  to 
him.  Extending  our  ideas  in  a  corresponding  manner,  we 
should  eventually  embrace  all  the  varieties  of  human  life; 
and  our  faith  would  distinctly  anticipate  an  exercise  of 
power,  as  far  as  the  nature  or  consistency  of  our  earthly  cir- 
cumstances could  require.  The  issue  would  be,  an  entire 
confidence  in  the  mediatorial  ability  of  the  Son  of  God  to 
sustain,  in  efficient  and  successful  operation,  all  the  se- 
condary agencies  of  his  own  spiritual  kingdom.  We  should 
then  remember,  that  no  calculations  on  mere  omnipotence, 
no  waiting1  for  an  exertion  of  divine  power,  while  the  means 
are  disregarded,  or  considered   as  unnecessary  formalities, 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT. 


85 


tan  possibly  be  justified.    Instead  of  all  those  deliberations, 
which  terminate  in  no  useful  purpose,  and  lead  to  no  prac- 
tical results,  we  should  reflect  more  maturely  on  the  moral 
proprieties,  which  our  own  free  agency  would  imply.  What- 
ever   God,    in    inscrutable   sovereignty,    might    do,   would 
never  constitute  the  problem  of  our  painful  arid  distracting 
thought;  but  with  an  intelligent  eye  and  a  submissive  heart, 
we  should  diligently  engage  in  evident  duty,  and  act  in  mo- 
rals, as  we  do  in  the  common  things  of  life.     "  All  power," 
said  our  risen  Lord,   "  is  given  unto  me,  in  heaven  and  in 
earth."     It  is  a  delegated  power,  of  which  he  speaks,  and 
the  sphere  of  its  operations    is   this  general  system,  with 
which  our  existence  is  connected.     Within  that  sphere  he 
must  act  consistently,  abiding  faithful,  as  one  who  "  cannot 
deny  himself,"  and  doing  for  his  vineyard  whatever  can  be 
done.     No  power  is  predicated  of  his  official  character,  be- 
yond that  which  is  coincident  with  the  essential  principles 
of  our  nature,  so  that  our  own  free  agency  cannot  possibly 
be  set  aside. 

If  I  were  discoursing  of  political  forms  of  government 
among  men,  my  argument  would  be  readily  understood. 
Every  one  knows  the  .difference  between  a  pure  despotism, 
where  the  will  of  the  prince  is  the  law,  and  a  limited  govern- 
ment, in  which  the  principles  of  a  known  constitution  be- 
come, both  a  restraint  on  the  ruler,  and  a  guaranty  to  the 
subject-  The  first  of  these  issues  in  slavery,  degradation, 
and  weakness;  the  second  is  characterised  by  liberty, 
strength  and  glory.  The  intellectual  being  acquires  power, 
in  proportion  as  he  acquires  intelligence,  and  never  loses 
his  power  until  his  integrity  is  gone.  The  greatest  glory, 
a  ruler  can  win  for  himself,  and  the  greatest  blessing,  he 
can  confer  on  the  multitudes  whom  he  governs,  are  to  multi- 
ply the  means  of  education.  An  intelligent  people,  other 
things  being  equal,  are  always  the  most  powerful.  In  ei- 
ther case,  however,  we  would  talk  of  all  power;  but  the 
phrase  would  not  mean  the  same  thing  in  both.  In  the  one 
case,  it  would  refer  to  an  absolute  sovereignty,  which  no 
one  could  certainly  define;  in  the  other,  the  constitution 
would  both  restrict,  and  determine  its  meaning. 

Such  is  the  fact  in  relation  to  our  present  subject.  We 
are  all  talking  about  divine  power,  as  an  abstract  perfection, 
without  reference  to  any  constitution  or  laws.  To  speak  of 
any  thing  which  God  cannot  do  is  almost  considered  blas- 
phemy. The  idea  no  one  seems  able  to  catch;  while  the 
S 


86  LECTURES  ON 

scriptural  query — "  What  could  have  been  done  more  to 
my  vineyard,  which  I  have  not  done  in  it?"* — is  like  one  of 
Paul's  difficult  sayings,  "hard  to  be  understood."  Now 
the  bible  gives  us  a  very  different  account  of  this  matter. 
There  a  constitution  is  provided;  laws  are  enacted  and  pro- 
mulgated; arid  the  government  which  is  spoken  of,  is  that  of 
a  superintending  providence,  carrying  out  the  principles  of 
the  constitution,  and  faithfully  sustaining  the  operation  of 
the  laws.  All  power,  then,  in  this  connexion,  means  that 
power  which  is  contemplated  by,  and  consistent  with,  the 
constitution  and  laws. 

In  fact,  to  put  us  into  such  a  state  of  things,  or  under 
such  a  form  of  government,  whose  principles  we  can  under- 
stand, and  whose  interests  we  can  appreciate,  is  the  very 
object  which  God  has  in  view,  in  manifesting  himself  in  per- 
sonal form;  and  is  the  very  demand,  which  the  intellectual 
nature  of  man  necessarily  makes.  As  among  men,  intelli- 
gence will  make  better  citizens,  than  swords  and  bayonets 
can  produce  ;  so  in  the  government  of  God,  enlightened 
consciences  will  make  better  moralists  and  more  holy  men, 
than  can  ever  be  produced  by  earthquakes  and  tempests. 
Devils  can  tremble  without  being  reformed;  and  many  a 
frightened  criminal  has  violated  solemn  promises,  which  he 
had  not  principle  enough  to  fulfil.  Jesus  Christ  did  not 
come  to  encompass  us  with  mysteries,  but  to  enlighten  our 
understandings.  And  in  proportion  as  we  escape,  by  his 
tuition,  from  mere  abstractions,  and  acquire  clear  percep- 
tions of  his  character  and  government,  we  grow  in  moral 
efficiency,  and  abound  in  spiritual  peace.  We  may  not 
then  be  waiting  for  some  sovereign  operation  of  divine 
power,  to  make  us  holy;  neither  need  we  be  afraid  of  some 
overwhelming  judgments,  coming,  we  know  neither  whence, 
nor  why.  But  by  the  light  which  he  has  imparted,  and  the 
clear,  undisputed  truths  which  we  may  obtain,  we  may  walk 
peacefully  on  toward  his  heavenly  habitation,  confiding  in 
his  faithfulness. 

2.  The  apostle  Paul  represents  the  Spirit  of  God  as 
searching  all  things.  How  can  such  a  term  be  applied  to 
the  omniscient  God?  The  redeemer  also  says,  that  the 
Spirit  shall  not  speak  of  himself,  but  what  he  shall  hear, 
that  he  shall  speak.  Where  is  the  propriety,  what  is 
the  import,  of  the  remark?  WThen  Jesus  would  explain,  he 
represents  the  Spirit  as  convincing  men  of  sin,  of  righteous- 
ness and  judgment;  as  taking  of  those  things  which  are  m- 
*  Isa.  v.  4. 


Moral  government.  87 

tegral  matters  in  the  mediatorial  constitution,  and  illus- 
trating them  to  the  apprehensions  of  the  human  mind;  and 
as  a  kind  preceptor,  patiently  waiting  on  the  slowness  of 
our  intellectual  operations.  "  The  deep  things  of  God," 
which  he  searches,  are  those  which  belong  to  God, — not 
abstractedly  considered,  for  he  is  not  to  speak  of  himself, — 
but  of  God  as  manifested  in  personal  form.  They  are  such 
things,  as  he,  dwelling  in  the  ancient  prophets,  testified  be- 
fore, and  concerning,  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  the  glory 
that  should  follow.  Just,  says  Paul,  like  the  spirit  of  man 
in  him,  reflecting  on  his  various  interests  in  the  world,  and 
looking  after  the  best  means  of  advancing  them.  Some- 
times, when  rebellious  men  turn  from  his  ways,  and  resist 
his  influences,  he  is  grieved;  when  they  repent,  he  alters 
his  course  ;  and  when  they  abide  faithful,  he  cherishes  and 
comforts  them.  The  phraseology  then  describes  an  official 
agency,  measured  out,  not  according  to  the  abstract  perfec- 
tions of  godhead  ;  but  presented  in  just  and  accurate  pro- 
portions with  the  system,  whose  operations  it  superintends. 
A  providence  is  proclaimed,  which,  instead  of  breaking  up 
all  responsibility,  and  metamorphosing  the  human  mind  into 
a  mere  mechanical  agent  by  a  despotic  sway,  is  most  bene- 
volent in  all  its  dispensations;  and  like  that  of  a  limited 
monarchy,  or  a  "  constitutional"  government,  is  not  only 
consistent  with,  but  wisely  and  patiently  cherishes  the  free 
agency,  or  intellectual  liberty,  of  its  subjects.  The  human 
mind  cannot  be  evolved  in  any  other  way.  God  has  not 
formed  his  creatures,  afterwards  to  disregard  the  attributes 
by  which  they  are  distinguished;  nor  called  into  being  a 
concatenation  of  causes,  with  a  view  to  a  corresponding 
series  of  effects,  afterwards  to  nullify  those  causes  by  ab- 
sorbing them  in  the  mighty  action  of  his  own  abstract  per- 
fections. 

It  is  well  known  that  there  are  many,  who  indiscrimi- 
nately refer  every  thing  to  the  councils  of  eternity ;  and  con- 
sider every  thing,  as  the  execution  of  some  invisible  decree, 
secretly  formed  in  the  divine  mind,  before  ever  the  heavens 
or  the  earth  were.  They  argue  from  the  omniscience  of 
God,  as  a  mere  abstract  perfection  of  his  nature;  and  con- 
founding foreknowledge  and  foreordination  together,  as  in- 
capable of  being  distinguished,  they  have  elaborated  a  sys- 
tem, which  has  driven  one  half  of  them  into  fatalism  ;  and  so 
far  perplexed  the  other  half,  that  they  know  not  how  to  keep 
out  of  it.     Now  the  Spirit  of  God  is  not  thus  represented 


88  LECTURES  ON 

in  the  texts  which  have  been  quoted.  Foreknowledge  there 
unquestionably  is;  predestination  there  unquestionably  is; 
but  a  withering  and  demoralizing  doctrine  of  fate  there  is 
not.  General  outlines  are  specified;  minute  facts  are  some- 
times foretold  ;  and  both  belong  to  a  course  of  intellectual 
operation,  to  which  any  wise  man,  and  that  in  proportion  to 
his  wisdom,  is  competent.  In  this  very  feature  of  charac- 
ter, Paul  declares  man's  resemblance  to  God, — in  one  of 
the  texts  under  consideration.  But  neither  -prescience  nor 
predestination,  is  carried  out  so  far,  as  lo  preclude  reflection 
on  the  part  of  man  ;  or  that  analogous  exercise  on  the  part 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  here  called  searching  the  deep  things  of 
God.  Theologians,  in  their  speculations  on  this  subject, 
have  run  up  their  metaphysics  a  vast  deal  too  high,  either 
for  their  own  consistency,  or  for  the  comfort  of  mankind. 
The  apologies  for  indolence  and  unbelief,  which  have 
thence  been  derived ;  the  subterfuges  which  the  disin- 
genuous have  thence  learned  so  artfully  to  affect;  the  toil 
and  distraction  in  which  the  humble  and  sincere  have  there- 
by been  involved;  and  the  quenching  of  the  Spirit  within  them, 
which  must  certainly  follow,  and  of  which  some  ministers 
have  been  scientifically  guilty,  when  an  offer  of  salvation  is 
to  be  made  unto  all; — these,  and  such  like  consequences 
have  both  flowed  from,  and  unanswerably  refuted,  the  cold, 
system  to  which  I  refer.  This  matter,  however,  will  come 
up  again  hereafter. 

On  the  supposition  that  God  has  revealed  himself  in  per- 
sonal form,  while  in  this  respect,  he  is  now  removed  from  our 
view  ;  and  taking  into  consideration  the  providence  of  God, 
which  has  been  so  emphatically  declared  by  inspired  men; 
some  such  train  of  spiritual  operations  as  has  been  described, 
from  the  very  nature  of  the  case,  must  be  carried  on  ;  and  if, 
in  regard  of  them,  God  is  represented,  either  as  a  gracious 
governor,  uniformly  seeking  the  welfare  of  those  whom  he 
rules;  or  as  a  loving/a/Aer,  whose  parental  solicitude  is  ex- 
ceedingly great,  there  can  be  no  serious  difficulty  in  an 
endeavor  to  ascertain  the  character  of  those  operations. 
How  would  a  father  deal  with  an  errant  child?  Would  he 
not  admonish,  reason,  entreat,  warn,  chastise,  forbear? — 
Would  not  his  spirit  continually  hover  around  the  beloved 
object?  Would  not  all  means  be  employed,  not  merely 
those  which  might  be  purely  paternal,  but  whatever  the  social 
circle  could  afford — to  reclaim  the  wanderer?  Should  re- 
pentance or  reformation  be  accomplished,  and  the  prodigal 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  89 

return,  what  would  a  father  do  then  ?  Or  if  repentance  should 
not  follow,  but  crime  should  lead  to  crime,  until  all  means 
have  been  repeatedly  tried,  and  forbearance  has  been  ex- 
hausted ;  must  not  his  benignant  spirit,  grieved  and  dis- 
tressed, retire  ? — All  has  been  done  that  can  be  done  ;  and 
amid  tears,  entreaties,  expostulations,  and  warnings,  the  ir- 
reclaimed  culprit  rushes  on  perdition  as  his  fate. 

Now  God  is  our  father.  His  commands  are  with  us,  sus- 
tained and  illustrated  by  his  own  personal  representations ; 
and  his  Spirit  attends  us,  using  all  the  means  consistent  with 
either  our  own  nature,  or  that  of  the  system  with  which 
we  are  connected.  How  affectionately  he  entreats!  How  ten- 
derly he  expostulates!  With  what  condescending  familiar- 
ity he  reasons!  How  kindly  he  warns!  How  reluctantly  he 
chastises  !  How  long  he  forbears !  Whom  does  he  reject  that 
repents  and  returns?  When  resisted,  does  he  not  grieve  ? 
Does  he  hastily,  or  without  many  and  sore  provocations,  re- 
tire ?  And  when  he  departs,  has  not  every  thing  been  done 
which  could  have  been  done,  and  done  in  vain  ?  Is  there 
any  farther  dispensation — any  other  Saviour — another  sacri- 
fice ?  Or  in  this  providential  course,  has  not  sin  against 
the  Son  of  Man  been  often  borne  with  ?  Has  not  the  blas- 
phemy against  the  Holy  Ghost  at  last  been  perpetrated  ?  If 
then  all  has  been  done  that  could  be  done,  and  no  more  sa- 
crifice for  sin  remains,  is  not  the  reason  abundantly  evident, 
why  that  blasphemy  is  unpardonable? 

3.  Our  redeemer  has  informed  us,  that  "the  father  judg- 
eth  no  man,  but  hath  committed  all  judgment,  to  the  son." 
The  reason  of  this  arrangement  is  also  assigned: — "because 
he  is  the  Sox  of  Man."  And  further,  even  the  character  of 
the  judicial  process  is  declared — "As  I  hear  1  judge,  and 
my  judgment  is  just."  But  very  differently  have  theologians 
represented  this  matter.  As  on  the  one  hand,  they  have  ab- 
sorbed human  free  agency  in  the  divine  omnipotence  ;  and  on 
the  other,  taught  men  to  reason  out  the  divine  omniscience 
into  fatalism  ;  so  here,  they  have  set  off  divine  justice,  cloth- 
ed in  all  the  terrors  of  its  own  incomprehensible  infinitude. 
They  have  reasoned  about  infinite  sin,  and  infinite  penalty,  and 
an  infinite  satisfaction  to  divine  justice,  capable  of  saving  ten 
thousand  worlds;  until  it  is  purely  impossible  for  any  man,  by 
such  a  technical  standard,  to  form  a  correct  idea  of  his  own 
moral  character  or  standing.  Then  again,  to  meet  allegations 
so  fearfully  mysterious,  others  have  talked  about  infinite  mercy, 
until  all  judgment  is  lost  in  a  doctrine  of  universal  salvation! 
8* 


90  LECTURES  ON 

But  this  subject,  like  the  preceding,  must  be  interpreted 
in  consistency  with  the  personal  manifestation,  by  which  Je- 
hovah's rectoral  relations  with  us  are  established.  The  Fa- 
ther himself  judgeth  no  man,  even  as  the  Spirit  speaketh 
not  of  himself.  Of  course  then,  as  the  doctrines,  taught  to 
us,  are  within  the  range  of  our  perceptions;  so  the  judg- 
ment, to  which  we  are  amenable,  is  correspondent  with  our 
capacities  of  action.  The  sentence  which  occurs,  is  not 
the  result  of  an  estimate  which  infinite  justice  has  formed; 
for  every  man  shall  give  an  account  of  his  works.  "As  I 
hear,  I  judge,"  says  the  Son  of  man  ;  "and  my  judgment  is 
just:" — not  merely  in  view  of  abstract  legal  principles,  but 
with  a  distinct  and  clear  reference  to  the  facts  in  the  case. 
He  alludes  not  to  his  own  accurate  foreknowledge,  nor  to  his 
individual  opinions  previously  made  up  :  but  to  that  which 
he  hears, — to  the  testimony  that  may  be  adduced  when  the 
books  are  opened. 

Look  again  at  the  interesting  disclosure.  God  "hath  ap- 
pointed a  day,  in  the  which  he  will  judge  the  world  in 
righteousness,  by  that  man  whom  he  hath  ordained"*  Con- 
sider well,  I  pray  you,  who  he  is.  Remember  that  he  is  the 
Lord,  your  brother,  who  assumed  your  nature;  who  learned 
obedience  by  the  things  which  he  suffered;  who  was  tempt- 
ed in  all  points  like  as  you  are,  and  is  therefore  able  to 
succor  them  that  are  tempted  ;  who  has  a  fellow  feeling  for 
you  in  all  your  infirmities,  and  who  is  touched  with  the  ten- 
derest  sympathy,  when  you  suffer.  Remember  that  he  was 
made  like  you  in  all  things,  on  purpose  that  he  might  be  a 
merciful  and  faithful  high  priest, — even  now,  when  he  sit- 
teth  as  a  Priest  on  his  throne.  Take  then  the  subject  of 
judgment,  into  you  rown  deliberate  and  rational  considera- 
tion ;  instead  of  giving  way  to  those  metaphysical  extrava- 
gances, which  array  infinite  justice  against  your  own  little- 
ness ;  abandon  those  inappropriate  and  inaccurate  technical- 
ities, which  confound  all  your  ideas,  drink  up  your  spirits, 
tangle  your  faith  amid  unintelligible  conjectures,  and  par- 
alyse your  arm,  while  extending  it  "within  the  vail,"  you 
would  lay  hold  on  the  High  Priest's  throne. 

Taking  the  three  foregoing  items  together,  while  they 
separately  appear  to  be  in  perfect  good  keeping  with  those 
divine  manifestations  in  person,  of  which  the  scriptures 
speak,  they  seem  to  me  to  unfold,  with  peculiar  beauty  and 
vividness,  the  very  object  of  those  manifestations.     For  if 

•Acts  xvii.  31. 


Moral  government.  91 

the  nature  of  man  requires  them,  and  if  God,  instead  of  retiring 
within  himself,  steps  forth  to  exhibit  himself,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  meeting-  the  necessities  of  our  nature  ;  the  several 
trains  of  personal  operations,  which  have  been  affirmed, 
must  certainly  follow.  And  if  we  are  to  imitate  his  exam- 
ple, or  to  carry  out  into  the  social  relations  of  life,  any  general 
principles  of  political  government  which  he  has  taught  us, 
then  the  preceding  argument  is  accurate  and  conclusive. 
For,  it  has  actually  embodied,  in  his  own  example,  those 
principles  of  legislative  and  judicial  policy,  which  fire  indis- 
pensable to  government  among  men.  Nor  can  it  be  a  very 
abstruse  proposition  to  any  one,  that  the  government  of  the 
human  mind,  whether  administered  by  God  or  man,  must 
proceed  on  the  same  elemental  principles; — simply,  be- 
cause it  is  the  human  mind  which  is  governed,  and  its  in- 
trinsic character  and  active  powers  are  the  same  in  both 
cases. 

My  views,  on  this  subject,  may  not  be  mysterious  or  ab- 
struse enough,  to  please  those  who  are  fond  of  dark  and 
doubtful  things  in  religion  ;  or  who  are  afraid  that  light  may 
lead  to  error.  Certain  it  is,  that  our  theme  has  been  divest- 
ed of  its  supposed  mystery  ;  and  that  the  mixture  of  false 
philosophy  and  sectarian  theology,  which  the  traditions  of 
past  ages  have  imposed  upon  mankind  with  so  much  empi- 
ricism, has  been  treated  with  very  little  ceremony.  I  make 
no  apology  for  my  hostility  to  dogmas,  which  no  mortal  man 
can  explain  to  me  ;  which  cannot  be  found  in  the  scrip- 
tures ;  and  which  are  the  stereotyped  decisions  of  the  par- 
tial councils  of  a  degenerate  age  : — dogmas  which  display, 
it  is  true,  the  royal  signet ;  but  then  that  signet  is  the  re- 
presentative of  an  authority,  generated  near  four  centuries  af- 
ter my  master  had  gone  to  his  rest;  and  was  neither  known 
nor  acknowledged,  by  either  himself  or  his  disciples.  But  if  the 
views,  simple  as  they  may  be,  are  scriptural  and  rational,  or 
if  they  carry  their  own  demonstration  to  every  unprejudiced 
and  candid  mind,  I  desire  no  more.  If,  on  the  other  hand, 
they  are  faulty  and  defective  in  all  these  respects,  then, 
while  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  them  overthrown,  I  shall  rejoice 
that  attention  to  the  scriptures  has  been  sufficiently  roused, 
to  expose  their  sophistry.  My  heart  has  no  unhallowed  in- 
terest to  maintain,  no  selfish  ambition  to  gratify.  The  Lord 
is  judge  over  all  the  world,  and  searches  every  bosom.  To 
his  holy  word  I  bow,  with  supreme  and  unreserved  rever- 
ence. May  all  the  saints  learn  submission  to  the  law  of 
Almighty  God. 


92  LECTURES  ON 


LECTURE  Y. 

Of  Creation. — Man. — Personal  Responsibility. 

Having  spoken  of  two  different  personal  manifestations,, 
which  God  has  made  of  himself,  in  view  of  the  character  and 
powers  of  mankind;  the  first  of  these,  with  its  appropriate 
associations,  now  comes  up  before  us.  Agreeably  then  to- 
the  classification  stated  in  the  last  lecture,  the  arrangement 
of  our  subjects,  as  they  must  now  be  considered  in  order, 
is  as  follows: — Jehovah,  Word,  and  Spirit — Creation — Man 
as  he  was  originally  formed, — and  Man  under  Law. 

Our  first  question,  of  course,  is, — How  did  God  create 
the  world  ? 

If  instead  of  this  question,  I  should  ask  you  how  does  God 
reconcile  the  world  unto  himself,  you  would  readily  reply, 
in  scriptural  language — "God  is  in  Christ,  reconciling  the 
world  unto  himself."  In  explanation,  you  might  go  on  and 
say,  that  in  order  to  reconcile  man,  he  assumed  a  human 
form,  and  appeared  in  the  likeness  of  men  ;  by  which  means 
he  became  qualified,  so  to  speak,  to  act  for  our  benefit,  in  a 
manner  consistent  with  the  laws  of  our  being,  and  the  neces- 
sities of  our  condition.  Or  again,  to  use  biblical  language, 
you  would  say — "Forasmuch  as  the  children  were  partak- 
ers of  flesh  and  blood,  he  also  himself  likewise  took  part  of 
the  same,  that  through  death  he  might  destroy  him  that 
had  the  power  of  death." 

In  like  manner  I  would  say,  that  in  the  beginning,  God 
in  the  Word,  created  the  heavens  and  earth  :  and  going 
on  to  explain,  I  would  further  remark,  that,  He,  having  pur- 
posed to  call  into  being  this  system,  and  to  place  an  intel- 
ligent creature  in  a  presidency  over  it,  did  assume  an  appro- 
priate form;  and  that,  acting  in  this  form,  the  whole  work 
was  done,  while  he  himself,  stood,  as  manifested,  Lord  of 
the  whole. 

Certainly  the  scriptures  do  entertain, — do  clearly  set  forth, 
this  simple  view  of  the  whole  matter. — "In  the  beginning," 
Moses  announces  to  us  that  "the  elohim  made  the  heavens- 
and  the  earth  :"  And  again,  that  Adam  and  Eve  "heard  the 
Voice  of  Jehovah  Elohim  walking  in  the  garden."  John  tells 
us  that  in  the  beginning  was  the  Word — all  things  were  made 
by  him;  and  without  him  was  not  any  thing  made  that  was 
made.     He  was  in  the   world,  and  the  world  was  made  by 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  93 

him,  and  the  world  knew  him  not."  Paul,  quoting  from  the 
book  of  psalms,  testifies  to  the  same  fact, — "Thou  Lord,  in 
the  beginning,  hast  laid  the  foundation  of  the  earth ;  and 
the  heavens  are  the  works  of  thine  hands."  The  original 
word  in  the  psalms,  which  the  apostle  renders  Lord,  is  the 
singular  of  Elohim;  and  is  the  same  used  by  Jehovah,  when 
he  informs  Moses,  that  he  had  appeared  to  Abraham,  as  Al- 
mighty God  ;  and  used  by  Jacob,  when  he  remarks — "I  have 
seen  God  face  to  face,"  and  denominates  the  spot  where 
the  sacred  interview  was  enjoyed,  Peni-EL.  Both  these  ap- 
pearances, you  remember,  were  in  the  form  of  Man. — Lord 
is  the  emphatic,  or  distinguishing  title  of  Jehovah  as  mani- 
fested in  a  personal  similitude. — The  apostle,  speaking  for 
himself,  would  say  concerning  his  master,- — "By  Him  were 
all  things  created  that  are  in  heaven,  and  that  are  in  earth, 
visible  and  invisible." 

God  then,  or  Jehovah  in  personal  form,  came  down  to  cre- 
ate the  heavens  and  the  earth,  as  he  came  down  to  give  the 
law  to  Moses  from  mount  Sinai ;  or  as  he  appeared  to  Isaiah, 
when  in  a  vision  he  saw  the  Lord, — the  original  word  is  not 
Jehovah,  nor  Elohim,  but  Adonai,  which  signifies  Lord, — 
upon  a  throne,  high  and  lifted  up.  He  came  down  in  hu- 
man form  to  reconcile  man,  when  he  appeared  as  the  babe 
of  Bethlehem,  and  angels  sang, — "Unto  you  is  born  this  day 
in  the  city  of  David,  a  Saviour  who  is  Christ  the  lord." 
So  also  he  came  down,  in  the  form  of  God,  to  create  the  hea- 
vens and  the  earth;  when,  as  he  himself  informs  Job,  "the 
morning  stars  sang  together,  and  all  the  sons  of  God  shout- 
ed for  joy." 

Having  assumed  external  form,  in  which  he  would  per- 
sonally act,  God  impresses  upon  this  system,  which  is  sum- 
marily denominated  the  heavens  and  the  earth  and  all  their 
host,  a  corresponding  character.  I  mean  to  be  understood 
as  intimating,  that  his  intelligent  creature  man,  whom  he 
designed  to  create,  was  to  be  an  intellectual  spirit,  inhabit- 
ing a  bodily form  ;  and  that  a  material  system  was  now  form- 
ed, to  subserve  the  various  purposes,  which  such  a  state  of 
being,  as  has  been  predicated  of  man,  would  involve.  By 
this  series  of  external  agencies,  God  manifested  his  own 
character,  together  with  the  principles  of  his  actions,  in  a 
manner  correspondent  with  the  constitution  of  the  human  be- 
ing ;  inasmuch  as  it  is  evident, that  man  being  destitute  of  what 
have  been  called  "innate  ideas,"  must  acquire  his  information 
by  his  external  senses,  and  from  external  sources.     At  the 


94  LECTURES  ON 

same  time,  while  this  external  system  afforded  to  him  the 
range  of  his  observation,  it  also  has  prescribed  the  sphere, 
and  furnished  the  means,  of  his  individual  and  responsible 
actions. 

Hence  it  is  said — "the  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God, 
and  the  earth  showeth  forth  his  handy  works:" — "The  in- 
visible things  of  him  are  clearly  seen,  being  understood  by 
the  things  which  are  made,  even  his  eternal  power  and  god- 
head. That  which  may  be  known  of  God  is  "thus"  mani- 
fested among  men  ;  for  God  hath  thereby  showed  it  unto 
them."  So  that  the  whole  material  system  is  intended  to 
subserve  a  principle  of  symbolic,  or  scenic,  representation, 
suited  to  the  present  mode  of  man's  existence.  Our  future 
concern  then  will  necessarily  be,  to  watch  and  describe  the 
development  of  this  principle. 

Jehovah  pronounces  his  work  to  be  very  good.  He  then 
intended  to  exhibit  himself  to  mankind  as  good.  Just  as 
he  has  done  in  the  gospel,  or  in  the  work  of  reconciliation, 
so  he  did  at  the  beginning  : — he  sought  to  leave  the  best 
impression  of  his  own  character  upon  his  creatures.  God  is 
love.  He  has  no  pleasure  or  satisfaction  in  any  injury, 
which  his  creatures  can  sustain.  He  does  every  thing, 
which  the  nature  of  the  case  will  permit  him  to  do,  to  pro- 
mote their  welfare  ;  i.  e.  he  multiplies  his  blessings,  employs 
his  restraints,  and  exerts  his  influences,  for  their  benefit, 
and  as  far  as  is  consistent  with  their  free-agency.  To  go 
farther,  and  interfere  with,  or  take  away  from  them,  their 
free-agency,  is  no  part  of  his  law  or  of  his  providence.  To 
do  this,  would  be  to  despoil  man  of  his  glory  ;  and  to  inflict 
upon  him  the  sorest  evil,  which  under  any  circumstances 
he  can  possibly  suffer.  God's  government  is,  and  always  has 
been,  a  government  of  Love.  Such  is  the  view  which  he 
designed  and  desires  to  give  of  himself  to  the  human  mind; 
and  our  first  parents  were  placed  in  the  happiest  circum- 
stances, from  which  such  an  impression  of  the  divine  char- 
acter could  be  derived. 

All  the  different  parts  of  creation  were  most  wisely  ad- 
justed, and  carefully  adapted  to  each  other.  A  series  of 
causes  originated  a  corresponding  series  of  effects;  a 
system  of  reciprocal  relations,  exceedingly  multiform  and 
diversified,  was  instituted;  and  every  thing  was  so  well  pro- 
portioned, so  accurately  formed,  and  so  bountifully  supplied, 
that  the  whole  combination  could  be  sustained  in  unbroken 
order,  and  undisturbed  harmony.   God  does  all  things  right. 


Moral  government.  95 

The  most  laborious  research,  the  most  scrutinizing  analysis, 
the  most  minute  experiment,  can  detect  nothing  wrong.  The 
farther  our  investigation  is  carried,  the  more  our  admiration 
is  excited,  and  our  confidence  secured.  All  the  world, 
even  now  that  evil  has  been  introduced  by  the  fall,  live  by 
faith  in  the  divine  providence,  and  grow  wise  by  studying 
his  works.  If  the  laws  of  nature  were  erroneous  ;  if  nothing 
could  command  our  eulogy  by  its  wisdom,  or  instruct  us  by 
its  rectitude,  then  goodness  could  not  have  been  displayed ; 
man  could  have  no  motive  to  act,  no  incentive  to  hope,  no 
subject  for  praise.  The  divine  character  would  have  been  any 
thing  else  than  an  object  of  contemplation  to  an  intelligent 
being,  or  a  pattern  of  imitation  to  a  creature  of  moral  obliga- 
tion. Place  then  these  two  things  together,  and  we  have 
exhibited  before  us,  in  the  finished  work  of  creation,  the  very 
matter  which  has  been  specified  in  the  divine  law;  which 
every  intelligent  being  must  approve  ;  and  which  the  re- 
deemer has  set  before  us  in  the  gospel ;  and  that  is, — righte- 
ousness produces  happiness.  This  is  the  elemental  principle 
of  all  government,  and  is  the  philosophy  of  life.  According- 
ly the  great  creator  most  magnificently,  and  gloriously,  dis- 
played it  in  his  own  work. 

But  in  reviewing  this  original  work  of  the  creator,  we  are 
invited  to  contemplate  more  than  the  exhibited  character  of 
the  creator  himself.  The  distinguishing  features  of  the 
creature  also,  and  the  principles  which  belong  to  its  individ- 
ual being  or  action,  require  our  most  deliberate  attention. 
Here  the  question  of  power  and  responsibility  arises ; — a 
question,  the  discussions  on  which  occupy  so  much  space 
in  theological  controversies;  and  a  misapprehension  of 
which,  may  lead  to  the  most  fearful  mistakes.  Now  it  must  be 
evident,  on  the  face  of  the  mosaic  account,  as  well  as  from 
the  nature  of  the  case,  that  each  creature  was  formed  in 
view  of  a  particular  design,  which  it  was  made  competent 
to  execute  ;  that  the  laws  of  its  being  were  impressed  upon,  or 
incorporated  with,  its  own  nature  ;  or  that  the  external,  ma- 
terial body,  which  is  presented  to  the  eye,  is  the  mere  visi- 
ble organization,  under,  or  within,  which,  certain  principles 
or  laws  were  put  into  operation  ;  and  that  no  creature  could 
be  expected  to  act  above,  or  contrary  to,  the  laws  which  be- 
longed to  its  own  constitution.  Hence  Moses  represents 
every  living  creature,  as  made  after  its  kind ;  and  speaks  of 
the  herb  yielding  seed,  whose  seed  is  in  itself;  and  the  fruit 
tree  yielding  fruit,  whose  seed  is  in  itself.     He  states  facts 


96  Lectures  otf 

in  their  own  simplicity,  and  as  though  he  were  altogether 
unconscious  of  the  difficulties,  which  more  modern  writers 
have  discovered  in  relation  to  ability  and  inability.  He 
looked  upon  the  whole  scene  before  him  with  an  unpreju- 
diced eye ;  and  his  observations  are  made,  with  all  the  fa- 
miliarity of  the  first  and  simple  impression  he  had  received. 
Jesus  uses  the  same  style  of  remark,  when  he  compares  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  to  a  man  casting  seed  into  the  ground: 
— "the  earth,"  says  he,  "bringeth  forth  fruit  of  itself." 

Each  individual  creature,  it  is  evident,  must  act,  or  ope- 
rate, according  to  the  laws  of  its  being.  Beyond  these  laws, 
it  could  not  go.  Whatever  power  might  be  predicated  of  it, 
must  exist  within  the  range  of  those  laws.  Destroy  those 
laws,  and  its  power  is  destroyed  :  interrupt  their  operation, 
and  the  exercise  of  its  power  is  interrupted.  A  fig  tree 
could  not  produce  grapes  ;  neither  can  figs  be  gathered  from 
the  vine.  No  intelligent  or  consistent  moralist,  would  car- 
ry his  ideas  of  power  any  farther;  would  attempt  to  tax  the 
providence  of  God,  beyond  the  laws  which  his  own  plastic 
hand  had  framed;  or,  depending  on  omnipotence,  would 
defend  the  wisdom  of  a  prayer  that  besought  the  Eternal  to 
cover  the  fig  tree  with  grapes,  or  the  vine  with  figs.  Nei- 
ther should  any  wisdom  be  manifested,  in  a  hypothetical  ex- 
position of  power,  which  should  destroy  the  fig  tree  or  the 
vine,  and  then  piously  refer  to  Jehovah  for  the  figs  or  the 
grapes. 

If  we  may  conceive  of  a  case,  in  which  the  action  of  the 
laws,  belonging  to  the  constitution  of  any  creature,  should 
be  suspended  or  impaired,  so  that  the  effect,  contemplated 
by  its  existence,  did  not,  and  could  not,  follow,  and  then 
inquire  what  the  remedy  must  be, — the  answer  is  at  hand. 
Every  one  can  see  that  the  remedy  would  consist  in  restor- 
ing the  suspended  action  of  those  laws.  Can  any  good  rea- 
son be  assigned,  why,  in  such  a  case,  we  should  prefer  to 
confide  in  the  mere  omnipotence  of  God,  working  without 
means ;  when  the  universal  characteristic  of  the  material 
system  is,  that  he  works  by  means  ?  Can  any  one  tell  us, 
why  the  fruits  of  the  summer  should  be  produced  by  the  im- 
mediate power  of  God,  rather  than  by  the  intervention  of  se- 
condary causes,  which  the  season  itself  affords  ? — But  this  is  a 
very  plain  matter.  Yet  the  principle  of  divine  operation, 
or  the  view  of  a  creature's  power  of  operation,  so  simple  in 
this  connexion,  becomes  a  puissant  affair,  in  the  metaphysi- 
cal theology  of  learned  sectarians. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  97 

But  to  proceed.  Moses  next  introduces  man  to  our  no- 
tice, and  apprises  us  of  some  very  peculiar  circumstances 
connected  with  his  creation. 

1.  The  Elohim  are  again  presented,  under  that  plurality 
of  view,  which  has  already  been  the  subject  of  protracted 
discussion,  in  the  preceding  lectures.  The  Elohim  said,  "let 
us  make  man  in  our  image,  and  after  our  likeness."  How 
shall  we  understand  this  language  ? 

You  are  all  aware,  that  this  is  not  the  only  instance  in 
which  this  kind  of  phraseology  is  employed.  You  remem- 
ber, that  after  the  fall,  the  historian  represents  Jehovah  Elo- 
him as  remarking, — "Behold  the  man  is  become  as  one  of 
us."  And  again,  when  he  descended  to  the  plains  of  Shi- 
nar,  to  confound  the  language  of  men,  he  said — "Go  to,  let 
us  go  down  and  there  confound  their  language." — Other  in- 
stances might  be  adduced  :  but  the  foregoing  are  sufficient. 
The  question  is,  where  is  their  propriety  ?  In  reply,  I  re- 
mark, 

(1.)  That  as  we  have  had  exhibited  to  us  two  distinct  person- 
al manifestations  of  God,  with  only  one  of  which,  it  is  possi- 
ble for  us  to  have  any  familiarity  in  our  present  lapsed  con- 
dition ;  we  must  obtain  our  principles  of  explanation  from 
the  one,  and  apply  them  to  the  other,  so  far  as  our  minds 
can  carry  them.  Now  when  the  redeemer  said — "If  a  man 
love  me,  he  will  keep  my  words ;  and  my  Father  will  love 
him,  and  we  will  come  unto  him  and  make  our  abode  with 
him," — who  feels  any  difficulty  ?  But  here  the  doctrine  of 
a  divine  manifestation  in  personal  form, — while  Jehovah  con- 
sidered in  himself  as  a  Spirit  is  no  object  of  our  vision, — or 
the  scriptural  exhibition  of  one  God  and  one  Lord,  is  so  pal- 
pable and  distinct,  that  no  inconsistency  is  suspected  ;  or  it 
readily  vanishes.  The  original  manifestation,  constructed 
on  the  same  principle,  and  holding  out  to  human  view  one 
God  and  one  Lord,  may  well  be  conceded  to  have  been  as 
clear  when  it  was  afforded  ;  and  would  be  so  to  us  now, 
were  it  as  possible  for  us  to  see,  as  it  was  for  Adam.  If  that 
concession  be  afforded, — and  I  cannot  conjecture  why  it 
should  be  withheld ;  all  the  difficulty  arising  from  the  use  of 
such  language  is  removed. 

(2.)  The  noun,  by  which  God  is  designated  to  us,  is  in  the 
plural  number:  so  that,  on  grammatical  principles,  other 
words,  which  would  be  grammatically  connected  with  it, 
must  be  modified  into  a  corresponding  form.  And  as  the 
manifestation  is  personal,  the  personal  pronouns  readily  fall 
9 


y»  LECTURES  ON 

under  the  same  philological  rule.  Nor  can  any  reason  be 
assigned  why  they  should  not,  when  personal  distinction  is 
implied. 

(3.)  Other  scriptural  expressions,  and  applied  to  man,  re- 
quire the  same  indulgence  in  interpretation, — if  indulgence 
it  may  be  called.  Such  are  the  following  : — "Return  unto  thy 
rest,  0  my  soul,  for  the  Lord  hath  dealt  bountifully  with  thee  J' 
"Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  sow/,"  again  and  again  repeated  by 
David.  "For  that  which  J  do,  I  allow  not:  for  what  J 
would,  that  do  I  not ;  but  what  /  hate,  that  do  /.  Now  if 
/  do  that  /  would  not,  it  is  no  more  /  that  do  it,  but  sin  that 
dwelleth  in  me.  /know  that  in  me,  i.  e.  in  my  flesh,  dwell- 
eth  no  good  thing."  Such  is  Paul's  language.  And  it  be- 
comes, if  possible,  more  striking,  when  speaking  of  himself, 
as  having  been  caught  up  into  paradise,  he  says — "Of  such 
an  one  will  I  glory  ;  yet  of  myself  I  will  not  glory,  but  in  my 
infirmities."  All  these  different  forms  of  expression  are,  as 
applied  to  the  same  person,  under  the  same  personal  view, 
highly  improper;  but  they  are  both  correct  and  beautiful, 
interesting  and  necessary,  when  applied  to  the  same  person 
under  different  personal  appearances. 

(4.)  While  these  expressions  may  be  illustrated  on  the 
distinction  which  has  been  stated,  we  are  forbidden  to  carry 
that  distinction  so  far,  as  to  overthrow  the  doctrine  of  the 
divine  unity.  Not  only  are  we  explicitly  informed  that  there 
is  but  one  God,  but  in  the  very  passage  from  which  these 
plural  pronouns  have  been  taken,  singular  pronouns  are 
used  with  equal  familiarity: — for  it  is  said, — "So  the  Elo- 
him  created  man  in  his  own  image  :  in  the  image  of  the 
Elohim  created  he  him;  male  and  female  created  he  them." 
And  afterwards, — the  Elohim  said, — "Behold  J  have  given 
you  every  herb."  "Hast  thou  eaten  of  the  tree,  whereof  / 
commanded  thee  that  thou  shouldst  not  eat?"  While  then 
the  distinction  stated,  is,  on  the  one  hand,  necessary  to  ex- 
plain the  phraseology ;  on  the  other,  the  phraseology  itself  re- 
stricts us  from  going  beyond  the  distinction. 

2.  The  Elohim  are  said  to  make  man  in  their  own  image, 
and  after  their  own  likeness. 

This  image  is  supposed  to  consist  in  "knowledge,  right- 
eousness and  true  holiness."*  Now  that  God  is  character- 
ised by  knowledge,  righteousness  and  true  holiness,  there 
can  be  no  doubt ;  and  when  man  possesses  these  things,  there 
is  as  little  doubt  that  he  is  like  God.  But  that  these  things 
*  The  idea  is  taken  from  Eph.  iv.  23,  24.— Col.  iii.  10. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  99 

cannot  be  included  in  the  record,  at  present  under  consider- 
ation, is  evident:  because, 

(1.)  Knowledge,  righteousness  and  true  holiness,  suppose 
intellectual  and  moral  exercises,  in  which  man  could  not 
have  been  engaged,  until  he  was  created  and  put  on  his  pro- 
bation. He  gets  his  knowledge  from  the  sphere  of  observa- 
tion that  is  afforded  to  him.  Not  having  any  "  innate 
ideas,"  he  must  depend  upon  his  external  resources;  and 
until,  as  an  intellectual  being,  he  was  put  on  those  resources, 
he  could  not  possess  the  ideas  which  were  to  be  derived 
from  them.  Righteousness,  in  like  manner,  is  conformity  to 
law;  and  he  could  not,  therefore,  have  righteousness  until 
he  had  conformed  to  law. — How  is  the  fact,  or  how  should 
have  been  the  fact,  with  regard  to  infants? 

(•2.)  The  image  of  God  does  not  always  mean  the  same 
thing  in  the  scriptures. — "  A  man  indeed,"  says  Paul,  "  ought 
not  to  cover  his  head,  for  as  much  as  he  is  the  image  and 
glory  of  God  ;  but  the  woman  is  the  glory  of  the  man."* 
Was  not  the  woman  made  in  the  image  of  God  ?  See  the 
record.! 

It  has  also  been  asserted,  that  by  the  fall  of  Adam,  all 
mankind  have  lost  the  image  of  God.  Neither  can  this  as- 
sertion be  sustained  by  the  scriptures.  For  when  God  re- 
newed the  mediatorial  constitution  with  Noah,  as  M  the  heir 
of  the  righteousness  of  faith,"  he  assigned  as  the  reason  of  a 
statute,  in  relation  to  murder,  then  promulgated, — "  For  in 
the  image  of  God  made  he  man."}  In  the  text,  just  quoted 
from  the  pen  of  the  apostle  Paul,  it  is  expressly  asserted  that 
the  man  is  the  image  and  glory  of  God.  And  James,  speak- 
ing of  the  tongue,  observes — "  Therewith  bless  we  God,  even 
the  Father;  and  therewith  curse  we  men,  which  are  made  after 
the  similitude  of  God."  § 

All  these  things  are  readily  explained,  by  the  fact  that  as 
the  Elohim,  mean  Jehovah,  who  is  a  spirit,  as  manifested  in 
personal  form,  and  acting  independently  of  that  form  in  his 
continual  providence  ;  so  man,  being  made  in  their  image  or 
after  their  likeness,  was  similarly  constituted  :  i.  e.  man  has 
an  intellectual  spirit,  dwelling  in  an  external  form  or  body  ; 
which  spirit  may  exert  an  influence  independently  of  his  bodi- 
ly presence. — The  allusion  which  the  apostle  makes,  in  des- 
cribing the  man  as  the  image  of  God,  and  the  woman  as  the 
glory  of  the  man,  is  not  to  this  primary  view,  but  to  official 

*  1  Cor  xi.  7.  X  Gen.  ix.  6. 

i  Gen.  i.  26,  27.  §  James  iii.  9. 


100  LECTURES  OK 

standing  and  authority.     Adam  was  our  social  head.     Eve 
was  not. 

The  first  thing  which  we  are  required  to  notice  concern- 
ing man, — the  general  matters  being  settled — is  that  he  has 
a  body.  God  has  created  him  with  an  animal  nature.  And 
this  body,  like  every  other  creature,  has  its  own  laws  im- 
pressed upon,  or  incorporated  within,  itself:  all  of  which 
laws  are  necessary  to  its  well  being.  It  is  a  beautiful  piece 
of  divine  mechanism,  "fearfully  and  wonderfully  made;" 
displaying  the  divine  wisdom  in  one  of  its  loveliest  efforts; 
and  putting  to  the  blush  the  absurdity  of  atheistical  specula- 
tion. It  must  act  according  to  its  own  laws, — not  contrary 
to  them — not  above  them.  Nothing  else,  nothing  more, 
can  be  expected  from  it :  nor  can  we  imagine  that  the  divine 
power  will  be  exerted  to  sustain  it  in  a  train  of  operations, 
for  which  it  is  not  constitutionally  fitted. 

The  body  of  man,  it  is  necessary  further  to  remark,  was  form- 
ed of  the  dust  ofthe  ground.  It  originates  in,  and  from,  this 
material  system,  or  is  a  component  part  of  it.  This  view  of 
the  origin  ofthe  body,  as  traced  to  the  laws  ofthe  material  sys- 
tem, is  never  lost  sight  of  in  the  scriptural  representations 
concerning  it:  in  proof  of  which  assertion,  let  the  following 
texts  be  submitted. — "  In  the  sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou  eat 
bread,  till  thou  return  to  the  ground;  for  out  of  it  was  thou 
taken  :  for  dust  thou  art,  and  unto  dust  shalt  thou  return."* 
"Remember,  I  beseech  thee,  that  thou  hast  made  me  as 
the  clay ;  and  wilt  thou  bring  me  into  dust  again  r"t  "All  flesh 
shall  perish  together,  and  man  shall  turn  again  to  dust."t 
11  He  knoweth  our  frame,  he  remembereth  that  we  are  dust."§ 
"  Then  shall  the  dust  return  to  the  earth  as  it  was."||  "  We 
have  had  fathers  of  our  flesh,  who  corrected  us,  and  we  gave 
them  reverence. "IF 

The  next  thing  that  is  observed  concerning  man  is,  that  he 
has  an  intellectual  spirit.  Without  this  he  could  not  re- 
semble the  Elohim.  This  spirit  is  the  immediate  gift  of  God, 
and  did  not  spring  from  the  dust,  nor  is  it  the  offspring  of 
the  material  system.  God  breathed  into  man's  nostrils,  when 
his  body  was  formed  from  the  ground,  the  breath  of  lives  ; 
i.  e.  both  animal  and  intellectual  life.  The  same  idea  is  pre- 
served throughout  the  scriptures. — "  The  spirit  shall  return  to 
God  who  gave  it."**  "  We  have  had  fathers  of  our  flesh — shah 

*  Gen.  ii.  7;  iii.  19,  23.  ||'Eccl.   xii.  7. 

fJobx.  9.  IT  Heb.  xii.  9. 

+  Job  xxxiv.  15.  **  EccK  xii.  7. 
|Ps.  ciii.  14. 


MORAL  GOVERxNMENT  101 

we  not  much  rather  be  in  subjection  to  the  Father  of  spirits  and 
live."*  "  O  God,  the  God  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh."t  "None 
of  them  can  by  any  means  redeem  his  brother,  nor  give  to 
God  a  ransom  for  him,  for  the  redemption  of  their  soul  is 
precious."!  There  is  no  man  that  hath  power  over  the  spirit, 
to  retain  the  spirit."§  "  The  burden  of  the  word  of  the  Lord, 
which  stretcheth  forth  the  heavens,  and  layeth  the  founda- 
tion of  the  earth,  andformeth  the  spirit  of  man  within  him."\\ 
"  Fear  not  them  that  kill  the  body,  but  are  not  able  to  destroy 
the  soul ;  but  rather  fear  him,  which  is  able  to  destroy  both 
soul  and  body  in  hell."V  To  God,  then,  immediately  and  di- 
rectly, are  we  indebted  for  our  spirits.  They  have  no  earthly 
father. 

I  am  aware  of  the  argument  that  has  been  employed,  and 
by  no  secondary  men,  to  disprove  the  origin  of  the  human 
spirit,  as  it  has  just  been  declared.  But  I  must  be  permitted 
to  leave  their  argument  on  this  subject  unnoliced  ;  as  it  is 
advanced  principally  to  sustain  a  doctrine,  which,  we  shall 
hereafter  have  opportunities  enough,  to  demonstrate  to  be 
unscriptural. 

The  spirit  of  man,  like  every  other  creature,  has  its  own 
laws,  impressed  upon,  or  incorporated  within,  itself.  Paul 
has  expressed  my  idea  thus  : — "  The  gentiles  do  by  nature 
the  things  contained  in  the  law, — which  show  the  work  of 
the  law  written  in  their  hearts."**  Like  every  other  creature 
then,  the  spirit  of  man  is  under  a  necessary  obligation  to 
act  according  to  the  laws  of  its  own  nature  : — not  contrary 
to, nor  above,  them  ;  but  in  perfect  correspondence  with  them. 
Noris  the  power  of  God  either  expected  to  legislate  for,  or  to 
act  by,  the  human  spirit,  in  any  manner  that  is  not  consistent 
with  its  nature,  or  proportioned  to  its  faculties.  Neither  is 
it  to  be  supposed  while  these  faculties  are  suffered  to  lie  dor- 
mant, or  are  not  called  out  into  action  to  the  whole  extent 
of  their  force,  that  God  will  gratuitously  supply  the  defi- 
ciencies, by  an  effort  of  his  own  omnipotence. 

Here,  then,  or  in  the  constitution  of  each  individual  hu- 
man being,  is  laid  the  basis  of  his  personal  responsibility. 
Whatever  may  be  his  social  relations,  or  however  his  ex- 
ternal circumstances  may  be  modified,  he  yet  has  an  indi- 
viduality, which  must  be  his  essential  characteristic  while 

»Heb.  xii.  7.  ||Zech.  xii.  5. 

fNum.  xvi  22;  xxvii.  16.  IT  Mat.  x.  28. 

JPs.  xlix.7,  8.  MRom.  ii.  14,15. 
§  Eccl.  viii.  8. 

9* 


102  LECTURES  ON 

his  spirit  exists.  His  body  may  be  enthralled,  but  his  mind 
must  be  free ;  and  for  himself  he  must  give  account  to  his 
creator.  Xo  one  man  can  eat  or  drink  for  any  other  man  ; 
but  the  organs  of  each  animal  system  must  possess  their  own 
vitality,  and  sustain  their  own  functional  operations  ;  in  like 
manner,  no  one  man  can  think  for  any  other  man;  but  each 
individual  spirit  has  its  own  characteristic  faculties,  and  these 
must  sustain  their  own  personal  operations.  It  is  this  indi- 
viduality of  being,  with  all  its  appended  rights  and  primordial 
privileges,  that  mankind  are  now  waking  up  to  consider; 
and  which,  with  such  spasmodic  effort,  they  are  pleading 
against  both  political  and  ecclesiastical  misrule.  Nor  will 
the  controversy  terminate,  until  the  victory  is  achieved,  and 
the  aristocracy  of  the  dark  ages  falls  disfranchised,  before  the 
banner  of  intellectual  freedom.  The  assumed  principles  of 
political  and  ecclesiastical  despotism  are  contrary  to  both 
nature  and  revelation. 

The  Son  of  God  himself,  while  upon  earth,  could  not 
think  for  his  hearers.  Hence  he  asked  them  with  so  much 
point,  "Why  do  ye  not  understand  my  speech ;"  and  re- 
plied with  so  much  plainness, — "because  ye  cannot  hear 
my  word."  Their  prejudices, — their  sluggishness, — their 
deeply  seated  errors, — their  familiar,  but  inaccurate,  techni- 
calities,— their  sectarian  dogmatism — their  crude,  but  ste- 
reotyped maxims,  derived  from  the  traditions  of  the  elders, 
and  sustained  by  the  commandments  of  men,  prevented 
them  from  hearing  either  candidly  or  correctly.  Hence 
thev  misrepresented  his  doctrines,  traduced  his  character, 
reviled  his  ministrations,  and  upbraided  him  under  the  harsh- 
est epithets.  "  This  people's  heart,"  said  he,  "  is  waxed 
gross,  and  their  ears  are  dull  of  hearing,  and  their  eyes  they 
have  closed;  lest  at  any  time  they  should  see  with  their 
eyes,  and  hear  with  their  ears,  and  should  understand  with 
their  hearts,  and  should  be  converted,  and  I  should  heal 
them."*  And  again,  in  his  last  hours,  and  in  full  view  of 
his  cross,  contrasting  his  own  benevolent  feelings  towards 
them  with  all  their  unkindness  to  him,  he  said,  "0  Jerusa- 
lem, Jerusalem,  thou  that  killest  the  prophets,  and  stonest 
ihem  that  are  sent  unto  thee,  how  often  would  I  have  ga- 
thered thy  children  together,  even  as  a  hen  gathereth  her 
chickens  under  her  wings,  and  ye  would  not."t  Let  the 
human  spirit  then  be  either  holy  or  sinful,  it  must,  from  its 
own  nature,  think  for  itself: — no  other  being  can  think  for  it. 
*  Mat.  xiii.  15.  I  Mat.  xxiii.  37. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  103 

It  is  unquestionably  true  that  one  man  may  express  his 
thoughts  to  other  men;  and  that  they,  taking  up  those 
thoughts,  may  professedly  and  habitually  act  upon  them. 
There  is  a  great  deal  of  this  species  of  intellectual  operation 
in  the  world;  and  there  necessarily  must  be.  It  is  one  of  the 
finest  and  best  views  of  the  social  character  of  man ;  but,  when 
abused,  it  leads  to  the  most  direful  and  disastrous  conse- 
quences. It  affords  ample  room  for  the  two  extremes,  at- 
tendant on  human  things — good  and  evil.  On  the  one 
hand,  it  is  the  very  soul  of  the  creed-making  system;  is  the 
only  support  of  political  or  ecclesiastical  despotism,  when  it 
connects  an  approval  of  the  dogmas  of  past  ages  with  civil 
or  religious  privileges;  and  can  alone  account  for  that  idola- 
trous reverence  for  the  fathers,  which  eulogizes  so  highly 
their  talents,  their  learning  and  their  piety,  and  smiles  so 
sarcastically  at  the  pigmy  pretensions  of  their  children.  It 
always  has  been,  and  it  would  seem  that  it  always  must  be, 
so,  that  men  who  are  too  timid,  or  too  indolent,  to  think  for 
themselves,  should  perpetually  detail  the  thoughts  of  others. 
And  then  again,  many  who  pretend  to  think  for  themselves, 
are  all  the  time  meditating  upon  the  ideas  of  those  who 
have  been  long  numbered  with  "the  pale  nations  of  the 
dead."  How  important  is  the  question  now-a-days,  what 
Calvin,  or  Luther,  or  Owen,  or  Edwards,  and  a  host  of 
others,  meant  in  their  writings  !  Can  any  one  conceive  a 
more  humiliating  intellectual  spectacle,  than  when  whole 
denominations  of  religious  men, — the  old  in  their  dogma- 
tism, and  the  young  in  their  intemperate  zeal — are  biting 
and  devouring  one  another,  while  professedly  arguing  out 
such  an  unprofitable  question?  But  look  abroad — hear, 
read,  see,  and  decide  for  yourselves. 

On  the  other  hand,  this  principle  of  intellectual  opera- 
tion, by  which  the  human  spirit  takes  cognizance  of  exter- 
nal objects,  presented  to  its  contemplation,  is  incorpo- 
rated in  the  divine  government  over  man.  When  Jehovah 
created  the  world,  he  made  an  exhibition  of  himself,  with 
the  view  of  arranging  subjects  of  thought  to  the  hu- 
man mind.  The  fact  is  abundantly  evident.  The  divine 
works  furnish  to  mankind  the  matters  of  their  varied  in- 
vestigation. But  the  knowledge,  which  they  are  intended 
to  impart,  cannot  be  acquired  without  effort  or  reflection. 
The  redeemer  did  not  ask  the  credence  of  his  hearers  to 
mere  assertion,  but  appealed  to  every  variety  of  evidence  of 
which  the  subject  was  susceptible; — to  creation — to  provi- 


104  LECTURES  ON 

dence — to  the  scriptures — to  reason — to  his  own  miraculous 
works.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  not  given  to  control  or  subdue 
us  by  repeated  emanations  of  resistless  power;  or  to  pre- 
clude the  necessity  for  personal  inquiry;  but  he  is  sent  to 
convince  the  world  of  sin,  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment. 
Jehovah  no  more  deals  with  the  spirit  of  man,  irrespective 
of  its  own  high  faculties,  than  he  sustains  our  animal  life, 
by  a  providence  that  gratuitously  dispenses  with  daily  labor. 
The  very  principle  of  intellectual  improvement  is  to  be 
found  in  our  intellectual  effort.  A  debased  mind  must  be 
regenerated;  a  corrupt  life  must  be  reformed;  the  being, 
who  has  gone  astray,  must  be  brought  back;  and  personal- 
ly to  attend  to,  and  achieve,  this  momentous  change,  is  the 
matter  of  moral  obligation  which  the  scriptures  prescribe. 
Personal  responsibility  is  therefore  the  necessary  result  of 
our  personal  existence;  and  no  institution  or  operation  of 
God  is  intended  to  set  it  aside.  Every  man  must  give  an 
account  of,  and  for,  himself,  to  his  creator. 

This  intellectual  spirit,  which  the  Elohim  breathed  into 
man,  is  made,  for  the  time  being,  a  tenant  of  the  body, 
which  had  been  formed  from  the  ground.  The  body,  then, 
is  the  instrument  by  which  the  spirit  acts.  It  acquires  its 
ideas  by  means  of  the  bodily  senses;  and  applies  the  ideas, 
thus  acquired,  to  the  various  purposes  of  life  ;  or  in  the  dis- 
charge of  its  responsibilities,  according  to  the  measure  of 
ability  which  belongs  to  the  body.  Weaken  the  powers  of 
the  body,  and  the  spirit's  ability  to  act  is  necessarily  dimin- 
ished. A  man  cannot  act  in  sickness  as  he  would  in 
health.  A  blind  man  can  have  no  idea  of  colors,  and  a 
deaf  man  can  have  no  idea  of  sound.  A  child  has  no 
maturity  of  thought,  and  in  old  age  "  the  silver  cord  is 
loosened  and  the  golden  bowl  is  broken."  And  hence 
Paul  complains,  that  when  he  would  do  good,  evil  was  pre- 
sent with  him — that  the  law  in  his  members  warred  against 
the  law  of  his  mind. 

I  apprehend  that  the  animal  part  of  man  is  but  little  con- 
sidered in  discussions  on  moral  science.  The  theologian 
appears  promptly  to  despatch  any  reference  which  might  be 
made  to  it;  and  thinking  that  the  question — can  matter  sin? 

shuts  out  all  necessity  for  illustration,  he  hastens  away  to 

speculate  about  abstract  spirit.  In  like  manner  he  had  rea- 
soned about  God;  and  merely  pursues  his  own  mode  of  rea- 
soning, in  thus  treating  man.  Having  contemplated  the 
creator,  enthroned  in  his  own   inscrutable  perfections,  out- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  105 

side  of  the  world  himself  had  made,  it  was  natural  and  ne- 
cessary to  carry  his  intellectual  creature  in  search  of  him; 
and,  impossible,  to  ascertain  some  points  of  communion  in 
which  the  two  could  meet.  Here,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
the  theologian  fails;  and  hence  the  very  virtues  of  the  chris- 
tian, like  the  attributes  of  godhead,  have  become  profound 
and  inexplicable  mysteries.  For  example  : — Who  can  tell 
us  what  faith  is  ?  No  one.  To  be  sure,  definition  upon  de- 
finition has  been  afforded  by  systematic  divines.  But  then 
they  only  throw  the  difficulty  one  step  forward:  and  when 
pursued,  the  answer  is — Faith  is  the  gift  of  God.  But  then 
what  is  the  thing  which  is  given  ?  In  what  sense  is  that 
thing  a  gift?  Does  God  bestow  faith  upon  us,  as  he  gives 
us  our  daily  bread  ?  Or  are  these  as  different  in  the  manner 
of  their  acquisition,  as  in  their  nature  ?  Must  we  believe 
what  we  do  not  see,  do  not  hear,  do  not  understand  ?  Or 
is  it  as  John  says, — "  That  which  we  have  heard,  which  we 
have  seen  with  our  eyes,  which  we  have  looked  upon,  and 
our  hands  have  handled,  of  the  word  of  life — declare  we 
unto  you  ?"  If  it  be,  then  we  get  our  ideas  through  our  ex- 
ternal senses,  of  which  our  spirits  take  cognizance,  and 
judge,  understand,  are  convinced,  and  believe.  But  in  that 
case  there  is  no  difficulty  or  mystery  about  the  matter.  For 
then  faith  is  the  gift  of  God,  as  our  daily  bread  is  the  gift 
of  God  :  i.  e.  we  get  our  daily  bread  by  a  divine  blessing 
upon  our  daily  labor;  and  so  we  obtain  faith  by  a  divine 
blessing  upon  our  honest  and  patient  investigation  after 
truth.  And  can  it  be  otherwise  ?  How  can  we  believe  in 
him  of  whom  we  have  not  heard,  and  how  can  we  hear 
without  a  preacher? 

In  the  same  manner  many  reason,  when  they  reject  all 
external  ordinances.  All  is  spirit  with  them.  Others  run 
to  the  opposite  extreme,  and  are  ever  seeking  after  exter- 
nal ordinances.  Sermons,  prayer-meetings,  and  conse- 
crated days,  seem  to  command  their  entire  confidence  ;  and 
they  justify  themselves  to  their  own  consciences,  by  calling 
the  excitement,  which  is  thus  produced  or  revived,  heart- 
religion  ;  as  though  the  heart  was  intrinsically  different 
from  mind,  or  as  though  Christianity  did  not  require,  but 
was  unfavorable  to,  intellectual  cultivation.  How  absurd 
that  system  necessarily  is,  which  does  not  enact  and  sanc- 
tify external  institutions,  as  the  mere  means  of  mental  illu- 
mination ? 

Out  of  this  peculiarity  of  our  present  mode  of  existence, 


]  06  LECTURES  ON 

viz:  that  our  intellectual  spirit  dwells  in  an  animal  body, 
arise  all  our  natural  relations.  Take  away  that  fact, — let 
the  spirit  return  to  God,  while  the  dust  returns  to  the  dust, 
and  these  natural  relations  cease;  for,  says  the  redeemer, — 
"  in  the  resurrection  they  neither  marry,  nor  are  given  in 
marriage."  How  much  more  evident  must  it  be,  that  all 
the  political  relations  of  life,  from  the  paradisiacal  constitu- 
tion down,  are  limited  in  the  same  way,  and  confined  in 
their  action  to  the  same  material  organization.  Through 
this  material  organization,  and  by  means  of  the  external 
senses,  any  objects  connected  with  the  political,  as  well  as 
those  belonging  to  the  natural,  relations,  may  be  presented 
to  the  human  spirit,  and  form  the  matters  of  its  careful  revi- 
sion, or  its  deliberate  judgment.  It  is  the  nature  and  pro- 
vince of  mind  so  to  act;  nor  is  the  case  altered  by  the  cha- 
racter of  the  objects  so  presented.  Whether  they  shall  be 
good  or  evil,  the  mental  exercise  remains  the  same  in  prin- 
ciple. The  spirit,  sustaining  its  own  free  agency,  and  de- 
ciding by  its  own  power  of  conscience,  chooses  between 
good  and  evil,  and  must  meet  the  consequences  of  its  own 
determinations.  All  that  can  be  required,  in  order  to  origi- 
nate, and  carry  through  to  its  issue,  such  an  intellectual 
process,  is  information,  afforded  or  acquired,  according  to 
the  established  laws  of  human  nature.  And  the  various 
relations  of  life,  whether  considered  to  be  natural  or  politi- 
cal, are  intended  to  aid  and  facilitate,  not  to  nullify  or  im- 
pede, such  a  train  of  mental  action.  "  He  that  is  called  in 
the  Lord,  being  a  servant,  is  the  Lord's  free-man."  Per- 
sonal responsibility  is  the  high  and  distinguishing  character- 
istic of  our  personal  existence. 

Having  now  traced  up  personal  responsibility  to  its  con- 
stitutional and  necessary  connexions,  let  us  next  inquire 
after  the  law  to  which  the  spirit  was  made  amenable. 
From  the  whole  view  of  creation,  it  must  be. very  evident 
that,  while  every  other  creature  served  definite  objects  suit- 
ed to  its  own  capacities,  the  spirit  of  man  was  made  to  con- 
template, to  obey,  and  to  enjoy  God.  Righteousness,  as 
productive  of  good,  was  the  high  object  it  was  formed  to 
secure.  In  securing  that  object,  it  would  act  according  to 
its  own  nature,  and  meet  its  own  responsibility;  but  dis- 
carding that  object,  responsibility  is  violated,  and  condem- 
nation unavoidable.  In  other  words,  it  is  as  much  the  na- 
ture of  mind  to  contemplate,  obey,  and  enjoy  God,  as  it  is 
the  nature  of  the  fig-tree  to  bring  forth  figs;  or  the  moral 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  107 

results  prescribed  to  the  human  spirit,  as  naturally  follow 
from  its  constituent  principles,  as  it  belongs  to  the  earth  to 
bring  forth  fruit  of  herself.  Hence  the  law  is  said  to  be 
written  on  our  hearts;  and  the  gentiles  are  described  as 
doing  by  nature  the  things  contained  in  the  law.  And  in- 
deed, would  it  not  be  strange  that  the  mind  should  be  called 
to  obey  a  law  which  is  not  coincident  with  its  own  nature, 
or  which  it  had  no  capacities  to  obey.  As  well  might  it  be 
expected  that  men  should  gather  grapes  of  thorns,  or  figs  of 
thistles. 

The  law  itself, — as  it  has  been  summarily  expressed  in  the 
scriptures,  requires  of  the  human  mind  simply  to  do  and 
live.  That  which  must  be  done,  is  the  thing,  which,  as 
either  enacted  by  a  written  code,  or  inscribed  on  nature,  is 
both  right  and  good,  and  is  perfectly  within  the  reach  of  the 
human  mind.  A  man  cannot  believe  in  him  of  whom  he 
has  not  heard  ;  neither  can  he  fulfil  a  duty,  which  he  has  no 
opportunity  of  knowing.  This  doing  was  as  much  within 
the  range  of  Adam's  abilities,  as  believing  is  now  within  the 
reach  of  our  capacity  ;  and  he  was  personally  as  accounta- 
ble under  law,  which  required  him  to  do,  as  we  are  under 
gospel,  when  required  to  believe. — Let  it  here  be  distinctly 
understood  that  I  am  not  speaking  of  the  paradisiacal  consti- 
tution; but  of  the  law  impressed  upon,  or  incorporated  with, 
the  nature  of  every  human  being  : — the  law  of  spirit  in  its 
own  individuality. 

It  may  be  both  seasonable  and  instructive,  to  call  up  to 
recollection,  that  God  himself,  the  great  pattern  of  imitation 
had  been  doing  also.  He  had  created  the  heavens  and  the 
earth  and  all  their  host.  This  work  is  both  right  and 
good.  So  clearly  was  this  the  fact,  that  Adam  could  dis- 
tinctly perceive  it,  and  make  his  observations  in  the  most 
intelligible  and  unequivocal  manner.  In  other  words— God 
did,  in  his  work  of  creation,  exemplify  the  connexion  be- 
tween rightousness  and  life,  or  show  that  the  thing  which 
is  right,  is  the  thing  that  is  good-  But  this  righteousness 
of  God,  did  not,  in  any  way  interfere  with  the  personal  re- 
sponsibility of  man,  so  as  to  cover  any  deficiencies  belonging 
to  his  nature,  or  any  improprieties  of  which  he  might  be 
guilty.  It  was  an  example  to  illustrate  the  divine  character, 
and  explain  the  divine  designs  ;  from  which  man  might  learn 
his  personal  duties,  and  derive  the  necessary  inducements 
to  perform  thern.  But  it  was  no  part  of  Jehovah's  inten- 
tion to  impute  this  righteousness  to  Adam,  or  to  any  of  his 


108  LECTURES  ON 

posterity  :  it  was  not  a  robe  which  his  hand  had  wrought  as  a 
garment  of  justification — it  served  not  as  a  final  plea  in 
judgment.  The  law  toman  was,  do  and  ltve  :  and  his 
obedience  to  this  law,  would  present  him  as  justified  by  his 
own  works.  Whereverthen  a  doctrine  of  imputation  may 
be  scripturally  or  rationally  argued,  it  cannot  be  sustained, 
in  any  respect,  as  a  substitute  for  personal  responsibility. 

Of  course  there  is,  and  necessarily  must  be,  a  limit  to  per- 
sonal responsibility.     Man  is  not  infinite,  and  the  law  of  his 
nature  could  not  be  infinite.  The  law  could  not  transcend  the 
powers  of  his  nature,  nor  be  stretched  beyond  the  sphere  of 
action  in   which  he  was  placed.     Accordingly,  on  the  one 
hand,    I  cannot  accede   to  the  lofty,  yet  undefined,  notions 
which  have  been  entertained  of  Adam's  superiority,  as  though 
he   were    something  more  than  human  ;   nor,  on  the   other, 
can  I  believe,  that   the  paridisiacal  institute,  was  either  the 
only  law  under  which  he  was  placed,  or  an  arbitrary  statute, 
enacted  as  a  solitary  test  of  his  obedience.     For,  as  we  have 
seen,  the  law  of  his  personal  being  was  written  on  his  heart, 
or  incorporated  in  his  nature  ;  and  must  be  obeyed  through- 
out the  entire  extent  of  his  agency,  and  in  reference  to  all 
the  relations,   belonging   to  the   system  with  which  he  was 
connected.      Whatever  was  the  nature,  or  the  intention,  of 
the  paradisiacal  law,  that  institute   could  not  set  aside  the 
law  written  on  his  heart,  nor  supersede  its  obligation,  in  those 
circumstances   to  which  it  would  naturally  and  necessarily 
apply.     And  those  circumstances  were  neither  few  nor  un- 
important.    For  observe — The  marriage  institution  was  es- 
tablished, from  which   the    various  natural   relations  would 
unavoidably  follow  : — The  sabbath  day  was  sanctified,  which 
would  seem,  as  being  a   positive  institution,  to  represent  a 
series  of  religious  ceremonies  as  belonging  to  the  service 
due  to  God  ; — The    dominion  over  the    creatures   was  en- 
trusted to  Adam's  judgment,  and  they  were  afterwards  named 
and  classed  according  to  his  judgment: — He  was  put  into  the 
garden  "to  dress  and  to  keep  it,"  and  was  thus  engaged  in 
all  the  operations  of  an  active  life ; — gold  and  precious  stones 
&,c.  are  also  enumerated,  along  with  whatever  was  pleasant 
to  the  sight,  or  good  for  food,  or  contributing  to  the  comforts 
and  conveniencies  oflife,  as  items  in  the  bountiful  provision 
his  creator  had  made.  A  scene  of  operation,  and  a  condition 
of  existence,  entirely  like  that  which  the  world  now  presents, 
with  the  exception  that  evil  had  not  been  introduced,  is  thus 
minutely  described  by  the  inspired  penman.     Here  then,  we 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  109 

have  the  sphere  of  man's  personal  responsibility,  when  origin- 
ally formed, — the  parts  as  well  arranged,  and  the  theatre  of 
action  as  extensive,  as  the  corresponding  system  is  at  this 
day,  or  has  been  since  the  fall.  It  is,  moreover,  abundant- 
ly evident,  that  this  state  of  things,  thus  set  up  at  the  begin- 
ning, was  intended  to  have  been  perptuateed,  until  the  cre- 
ator's intentions  in  framing  it  should  be  answered  ;  while  at 
the  same  time  some  ulterior  purposes  were  distinctly  held 
up  to  view. 

It  may,  perhaps,  be  objected,  that  the  preceding  view  in- 
volves the  possibility  of  the  commission  of  sin,  by  Adam  or 
any  of  his  children,  irrespective  of  the  paradisiacal  constitu- 
tion ;  and  at  any  point  in  the  whole  range  of  their  personal 
responsibilities.  Reminding  you,  in  the  first  place,  that  the 
preceding  argument  has  been  drawn  from  the  nature  of  the 
case,  and  that  the  detail  which  has  been  presented  is  the  histo- 
rian's own  account  of  Me  facts  in  the  case,  I  readily  admit  the 
accuracy  of  the  objection,  and  concede  its  implication.  What 
then  ?  Is  there  any  thing  wrong  in  the  concession?  Is  any 
scriptural  principle  overlooked,  or  put  at  defiance?  Did  not 
Adam  sin,  when  he  ate  of  the  forbidden  fruit?  Did  not  Eve 
sin — and  as  she  was  not  our  social  head — did  she  not  sin 
in  violation  of  personal  responsibility  ?  Was  she  not  "first" 
in  the  transgression  ?  Did  her  sin  become  impossible  before 
the  social  head  had  eaten  ?  Have  not  angels  sinned  ?  Does  not 
God  himself  speak  of  good  and  evil,  in  other  parts  of  his  do- 
minions?— Any  difficulty  which  may  arise  here,  proceeds 
from  the  assumption,  that  the  existence  of  sin  argues  apre- 
viously  corrupt  nature.  1  say  assumption — because  neither 
Adam,  nor  Eve,  nor  the  angels,  had  a  previously  corrupt 
nature. 

That  such  a  concession  may  be  safely  made,  is  farther 
evident  from  the  nature  of  personal  responsibility  itself.  This 
could  not  be  absorbed  in  any  social  institute.  The  mediato- 
rial righteousness  of  the  Son  of  God  himself,  has  not  absorb- 
ed it :  but  he  commands  every  man  to  believe ;  and  on  a  com- 
pliance or  non-compliance,  depends  the  issue.  By  his  own 
nature,  every  man  is  in  a  state  of  personal  probation  ;  good 
and  evil  are  placed  before  him.  And  every  where,  through- 
out the  scriptures,  a  man's  final  destiny  is  connected  with 
his  own  responsibility.  Spiritual  and  eternal  life,  on  the 
one  hand,  and  spiritual  and  eternal  death  on  the  other,  are 
respectively  attached  to  the  facts  given  in  answer  to  the  ju- 
dicial inquiry,  whether  a  man  has  done  good  or  evil  ?  Who 
10 


110  LECTURES  ON 

ever  heard  of  any  man's  being  condemned  at  the  bar  of  God 
for  Adam's  sin;  or  of  any  other  judicial  inquiry,  than  that 
which  involved  the  deeds  done  in  the  body,  and  demanded  every 
one  to  answer  for  himself  ?  Ah  !  much  do  I  fear  that  multi- 
tudes are  slumbering  on  an  awful  precipice,  in  view  of  this 
momentous  matter.  Rouse  up,  I  beseech  you,  and  search 
the  scriptures,  that  you  may  ascertain,  whether  you  must  not 
be  judged  in  the  great  day  of  retribution — each  for  yourself? 

It  may  now  be  very  fairly  asked,  what  would  have  been 
the  consequence,  if  Adam,  or  any  of  his  posterity,  had  sin- 
ned, in  violation  of  personal  responsibility?  Should  such 
a  transgressor  have  died  ?  To  answer  this  question,  it 
must  first  be  settled,  what  kind  of  death  it  means?  If  it  be 
temporal  death,  to  which  the  question  refers,  I  unhesitating- 
ly answer,  that  thus  the  transgressor  would  not  have  died  : 
because  temporal  death  is  uniformly  connected  with  Adam's 
sin.  In  Adam  all  die.  It  is  very  true  that,  death  may  be  in- 
flicted as  the  penalty  of  a  municipal  statute  : — but  that  occurs 
only  because  death  has  been  brought  into  the  world,  as  the 
consequence  of  Adam's  sin.  And  it  is  also  true,  that  death 
was  inflicted  as  the  penalty  of  the  mosaic  law ;  but  that  resul- 
ted from  its  typical  purposes  and  character.  Neither  fact  dis- 
turbs our  general  argument.  However  righteous  any  man  may 
be,  he  cannot  escape  death: — "It  is  appointed  unto  all  men 
once  to  die."  In  such  a  case,  personal  responsibility  would 
have  left  a  sinner  to  the  divine  favor  for  pardon,  on  the  prin- 
ciple of  repentance,  or  to  the  decisions  of  the  day  of  judg- 
ment, when  every  man  must  give  account  of  himself  to 
God. 

Again  it  may  be  asked,  what  would  have  been  the  final 
issue  under  such  circumstances,  if  the  transgressor  had  not 
died  ?  In  what  way  should  he  have  been  brought  into  judg- 
ment? These  questions  are  entitled  to  a  distinct  answer, 
whether  the  case  of  transgression  shall  be  admitted  or  de- 
nied. It  could  not  have  been  intended  that  man  should 
live  here  forever,  if  the  paradisiacal  law  had  not  been  viola- 
ted :  and  personal  probation  must  necessarily  lead  to  a  judi- 
cial investigation.  There  were  evidently  two  sides  to  the 
constitution  under  which  mankind  were  placed ;  and  if  sin 
were  followed  by  penalty,  obedience  must  secure  reward. 
How  then  shall  we  decide  this  interesting  matter?  Are 
there  any  scriptural  principles,  unequivocally  set  forth, 
whose  truth  is  indisputable,  and  on  which  we  may  conn- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  Ill 

dently  rely  ?     I  think  there  are  such  principles,  very  distinct- 
ly stated  ;   and  that  they  fully  meet  the  whole  case. 

The  apostle  Paul,  in  his  argument  on  the  resurrection, 
addressed  to  the  corinlhians,*  very  explicitly  assures  us,  that 
"flesh  and  blood  cannot  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God."  Now 
Adam  had  this  very  flesh  and  blood,  which  cannot  inherit 
the  kingdom  of  God.  Of  course  he  could  not  inherit 
the  kingdom  of  God;  or  he  must,  some  how  or  other,  part 
with  flesh  and  blood. — Again  the  apostle  observes,  "there  is 
a  natural  body,  and  there  is  a  spiritual  body.  ''And  so,"  he 
adds,  it  is  written,  "the  first  man  Adam  was  made  a  living 
soul ;  the  last  Adam  was  made  a  quickening  spirit."  The 
doctrine  of  these  two  kinds  of  bodies,  he  does  himself  ap- 
ply to  the  primordial,  as  well  as  to  the  remedial  state  of 
man  ;  and  observes  that  their  order  was — "that  was  not  first 
which  is  spiritual,  but  that  which  is  natural ;  and  afterward 
that  which  is  spiritual."  The  doctrine  of  the  resurrection, 
as  connected  with  the  christian  system,  he  argues  on  these 
original  principles.  A  natural  body  is  not  the  mere  off- 
spring of  a  fallen  nature,  but  is  all  that  was  produced  from 
the  ground,  or  belonged  to  Adam  before  he  fell ;  and  is  strict- 
ly analogous  with  the  material  system  of  which  it  forms  a 
part.  On  the  other  hand,  a  spiritual  body  is  not  a  mere  ap* 
pendage  of  Christianity,  presented  as  analogous  with  the 
resurrection  ;  but  was  contemplated  from  the  beginning;  for 
which  reason  it  is  incorporated  with  Christianity. 

Again,  he  says,  "we  shall  not  all  sleep,  but  we  shall  all 
be  changed;  in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the 
last  trumpet:  for  the  trumpet  shall  sound,  and  the  dead 
shall  be  raised  incorruptible,  and  we  shall  be  changed." 
Temporal  death  then  is  not  indispensably  necessary  to  our 
putting  off  the  natural,  and  putting  on  the  spiritual  body  :  a 
change  may  be  accomplished  in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye  ;  of  which,  the  facts  that  occurred  in  the  history  of 
Enoch  and  Elijah,  are  bright  and  interesting  examples.  Any 
supposed  difficulty,  in  the  case  before  us,  is  then  readily  and 
entirely  removed.  Nor  is  death  itself  either  so  unique  or 
monstrous  a  matter,  as  it  is  generally  represented  to  be  ;  but 
is  analogous  to  an  event  which  should  have  occurred,  if 
Adam  had  not  eaten  the  forbidden  fruit ;  and  which  should 
have  pressed  home  the  personal  responsibility  of  every  hu- 
man mind,  with  equal  force.  Thus  then,  by  a  change  which 
would  have  taken  place,  not  so  painful  nor  dishonorable  as 
temporal  death,  yet  still  by  a  change  from  a  natural  into  a 

*  1  Ep.  xv.  44—52. 


112  LECTURES  ON 

spiritual  body,  should  mankind,  whether  they  had  personal- 
ly done  good  or  evil,  have  been  introduced  to  the  judgment 
seat. 

We  have  now  reached  the  paradisiacal  institute.  But 
wishing  to  consider  that  matter  by  itself,  I  shall  postpone  it 
to  the  next  lecture ;  and  in  the  mean  time  anticipate  our 
discussion,  so  far  as  to  take  up  the  following  question: — 
Was  Adam  left  to  fulfil  his  various  duties  in  his  own  strength  ? 
This  question,  in  an  age,  when  there  is  so  much  contra- 
dictory, and  unsatisfying  argument  on  the  subjects  of  divine 
power,  and  human  ability  and  inability,  may  perhaps  serve 
to  throw  these  litigated  matters  into  a  novel  form,  or  one 
which  has  not  been  defaced  by  scholastic  technicality.  Let 
us  see  what  reply  may  be  obtained  from  the  facts,  as  they 
are  afforded  in  the  scriptures. 

Moses  informs  us  that  on  the  seventh  day  God  rested 
from  all  his  work.  And  what  did  he  mean  by  God's  rest- 
ing? Paul,  illustrating  the  mediatorial  system  as  an  eccle- 
siastical constitution,  compares  it  with  this  early  form  of 
moral  government  which  Moses  describes ;  and  remarks — 
"He  that  is  entered  into  his  rest,  he  also  hath  ceased  from 
his  own  works,  as  God  did  from  his."  An  analogy  is  evi- 
dently intended  to  be  asserted.  In  the  latter  case,  we  learn 
that  Christ,  as  to  his  bodily  presence,  is  now  removed  from 
our  view,  and  that  in  place  thereof  the  spirit  has  come. 
The  analogy  then  would  be,  that  God,  having  finished  the 
work  of  creation,  entered  into  his  rest;  or  that  in  personal 
form  he  was  removed  out  of  Adam's  sight,  and  the  spirit 
came. 

It  may,  perhaps,  be  considered  as  a  breach  upon  this  an- 
alogy, that  the  Voice  of  God,  or  God  in  personal  form,  did 
afterwards  appear  in  the  garden.  But  so  also  the  redeemer 
appeared  to  Paul,  when  he  commissioned  him  to  go  to  the 
gentiles.  So  he  appeared  to  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob, 
when  he  would  make,  or  renew,  his  covenant  with  them. 
So  he  came  down  to  the  plains  of  Shinar,  and  to  Sodom, 
when  he  appeared  to  execute  his  purpose.  A  like  occasion 
had  now  occurred  ;  something  out  of  the  course  of  ordinary 
rule  was  to  be  adjudicated;  and  viewed,  as  the  facts  allu- 
ded to  are  to  be  estimated,  the  seeming  discrepancy  is  done 
away. 

Then  the  Spirit  came,  as  he  comes  now.  We  are  wont 
to  refer  every  thing  to  the  single  agency  of  the  Spirit;  and 
many  feel   warranted  to  wait,  when  they  are  called  to  be- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  1 13 

lieve  the  gospel,  until  the  Spirit  shall  renew  their  hearts. 
Others,  who  have  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  are  con- 
tinually representing  the  Spirit's  influences  in  such  a  light, 
that  a  sort  of  irresponsible  state  is  supposed  to  exist ;  and  an 
inability  on  the  part  of  man  is  inferred,  with  all  which  the 
doctrine  of  a  personal  election  and  reprobation  most  exact- 
ly fits.  They  plead  indeed  for  the  use  of  means  ; — but  then 
any  one  may  see  that  their  doctrine  of  divine  power  and  hu- 
man inability,  renders  the  means  utterly  useless.  Multitudes 
of  sinners  thus  excuse  themselves  from  believing;  and  mul- 
titudes feel  themselves  to  be  in  a  most  fearful  predicament, 
while  the  penalty  hangs  over  them, — "he  that  believeth  not 
shall  be  damned,"  and  the  scriptures  unequivocally  declare 
that  the  sinner  perishes  by  his  own  fault.  Theologians  can- 
not reconcile  these  contradictory  views,  and  the  cry  of  mys- 
tery will  no  longer  avail. 

How  then  stood  the  matter  at  first?  Can  we  speak  of 
Adam's  inability  ?  Do  the  scriptures  report  him  as  indo- 
lently waiting  for  God  ?  Or  do  they  refer  his  fall  to  any 
thing  else  than  the  sinful  emotions  of  his  own  bosom  ?  None 
of  these  things  can  be  affirmed  with  confidence  in  relation 
to  him.  And  why  should  they  be  affirmed  of  man  now? 
Man,  it  may  be  replied,  is  now  encompassed  with  infirmi- 
ties. True.  But  the  divine  government  has  proportioned 
its  operations  to  his  infirmities.  He  is  not  now  under  law, 
but  under  grace.  Where  then  is  the  difference  in  princi- 
ple ?  There  is  none.  It  is  now  as  much  within  the  com- 
pass of  our  ability  to  believe,  as  it  was  within  the  compass 
of  Adam's  ability  to  obey.  Not  that  there  is  no  divine  pow- 
er now,  or  was  no  divine  power  then.  For  in  both  in- 
stances the  Spirit's  operations  belong  to  the  divine  govern- 
ment. The  simple  fact  is,  that  in  the  former  case,  the  subject 
has  been  obscured  and  misrepresented  by  scholastic  subtle- 
ty :  in  the  last  case  the  subject  has  been  habitually  over- 
looked ;  and  by  referring  yourselves  to  the  display  of  una- 
dulterated truth  at  first  afforded,  you  may  more  quickly  and 
more  accurately  understand  the  interest  which  you  your- 
selves, and  all  men,  have  in  the  influences  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 
Here,  beneath  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil, 
the  ministry  might  lay  down  their  fetters;  and  go  forth,  un- 
trammelled and  unabashed,  to  preach  salvation  by  "the 
seed  of  the  woman,  to  all  the  world." 


W 


114  LECTURES  ON 


LECTURE  VI. 

The  Paradisiacal  Constitution. — Tree  of  Life. — Rewards  and 
Penalties. — Mosaic  Law. — The  Flood. 

If  the  argument  afforded  in  the  preceding  lecture  be  ac- 
curate and  conclusive,  and  if  the  historical  details  have  been 
neither  misrepresented,  nor  exaggerated,  then  the  paradi- 
siacal statute  must  not  be  so  interpreted,  as  to  destroy  per- 
sonal responsibility.  In  other  words, — It  has  been  shown 
that  personal  responsibility  belongs  to  the  very  nature  of 
man,  or  is  the  necessary  accompaniment  of  his  personal 
existence  : — that  each  man  is  accountable  for  himself,  and 
for  himself  alone,  at  the  bar  of  God  : — that  no  one  man,  not 
Daniel,  nor  Noah,  nor  Job, — and  may  I  not  add— nor  Adam, 
can  be  a  substitute  for  any  other  man,  or  deliver  either  son 
or  daughter  by  his  righteousness; — and  that,  wherever  a 
doctrine  of  imputation  may  be  maintained,  or  of  whatever 
political  compact  it  may  form  a  part,  it  cannot  contravene 
this  great  law  of  our  personal  being. 

It  has  also  been  shown,  that  the  spirit  of  man  proceeds 
immediately  from  God  himself,  while  the  body  is  referred  to 
a  secondary  agency,  belonging  to  the  material  system.  No 
man  can  have  power  over  the  spirit;  but  each  one,  accord- 
ing to  the  instructions  delivered  by  the  redeemer  to  his  dis- 
ciples, has  it  in  charge  to  live  above  the  fear  of  his  fellows; 
and  direct  his  movements,  under  the  solemn  consideration 
that  God  alone  is  the  arbiter  of  the  immortal  spirit.  Of 
course  then,  the  paradisiacal  institute  must  direct  its  agency 
to  that  which  it  can  reach  :  and  cannot  terminate  in  the  des- 
truction of  spirit. 

To  this  view  may  be  added  the  fact,  that  the  mediatorial 
system  itself  does  not  destroy,  or  set  aside,  personal  responsi- 
bility. On  the  contrary,  that  system  has  been  introduced, 
because  "  the  one  offence"  of  Adam,  limited  in  the  devasta- 
tion it  brought  about,  left  in  personal  responsibility  the  op- 
portunity for  a  remedial  operation.  Permit  me  to  illustrate 
my  meaning  by  an  analogy. — You  have  entrusted  your  funds 
to  an  agent,  in  whom  you  thought  you  had  just  cause  to  con- 
fide. He  has  been  unfaithful,  and  squandered  your  means. 
You  are  involved  in  consequent  suffering,  but  you  have  con- 
tracted no  guilt.  Personally,  you  have  not  sinned.  This 
is    a  social    operation  which    every  one  understands.     No 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  1 15 

one  complains  of  its  injustice,  objects  to  its  philosophy,  or 
emblazons  it  as  awful  or  unapproachable,  on  account  of  its 
mystery.  Every  one  perceives,  that  while  personal  respon- 
sibility results  from  personal  existence,  so  social  responsibil- 
ity results  from  social  existence.  Each  is  equally  necessary, 
justifiable,  and  philosophical  in  its  own  connexions. 

But  in  the  case  contemplated,  another  question  arises. 
The  infidelity  of  your  agent,  and  the  consequent  suffering 
in  which  you  are  involved,  lead  to  the  inquiry  whether  you 
can  meet  your  own  personal  obligations  ?  Your  character  is 
unhurt,  but  what  are  your  means  ?  If  your  means  are  wasted, 
your  creditors  must  then  look  to  your  personal  character;  and 
their  future  conduct  must  be  regulated,  not  by  pressing  the 
principle  of  social  responsibility,  with  a  sort  of  Shylock  per- 
tinacity and  cruelty  ;  but  as  one  system  has  been  brought  to  its 
extremity,  the  remedy  must  be  sought  for  in  a  higher  system  ; 
and  all  future  operations  must  be  framed  in  coincidence  with 
the  remedial  principle,  thus  derived.  Such  a  course  would 
be  as  wise,  as  it  is  humane.  So  in  the  case  before  us.  The 
one  offence  of  Adam  has  pushed  the  system  of  social  respon- 
sibility to  its  extremity  :  the  remedial  principle  must  be 
sought  for  in  the  higher  system  of  personal  responsibility. 
Evidently  we  are  involved  by  Adam's  sin  in  suffering ;  and 
as  evidently  we  have  no  means  of  meeting  our  personal  ob- 
ligations;  but  as  clearly  our  personal  character  has  not  been 
forfeited.  The  fact  that  we  were  not  then  born,  renders  the 
idea  of  the  forfeiture  of  personal  character  perfectly  unrea- 
sonable and  absurd.  And  when  a  philosophic  theologian 
undertakes  to  maintain  that  idea,  it  is  no  wonder  that  he  is 
lost  in  mystery,  and  is  unable  to  defend  his  system,  by  scrip- 
ture, analogy,  or  otherwise,  to  the  common  sense  of  man- 
kind. 

I  have  said,  that  the  limited  effect  of  the  paradisiacal  insti- 
tute, afforded  the  opportunity  for  the  introduction  of  the  me- 
diatorial system.  The  preceding  analogy  was  intended  to 
illustrate  that  position,  by  evincing,  that  in  personal  respon- 
sibility, while  unviolated,  the  remedial  principle  must  neces- 
sarily be  sought.  If  a  remedial  principle  could  not  be  thence 
derived,  it  could  come  from  no  other  source, — as  appears 
from  the  two  following  scriptural  considerations. 

1.  Speaking  on  the  subject  of  the  resurrection,  the  re- 
deemer informs  us,  that  "in  the  resurrection  they  neither 
marry,  nor  are  given  in  marriage."  Of  course  all  the 
other  natural  relations  will  be  done  away;  and  our  social  ex- 


116  LECTURES  ON 

istence,  whatever  may  be  the  form  under  which  it  shall  be 
maintained,  shall  not  be  regulated  by  those  principles  which 
are  essentially  characteristic  of  it  here.  But  further,  the  re- 
deemer adds,  that  they  who  rise  shall  be  "like  the  angels  of 
God."  The  angels  are  not  bound  together  by  social 
ties,  analogous  to  those  which  subsist  among  men  upon  earth. 
Their  condition  in  their  own  sphere  of  action,  and  our  con- 
dition in  the  flesh,  differ — in  what?  Certainly  in  this,  that 
social  responsibility  is  not  found  among  them,  in  the  same 
form  in  which  it  has  been  established  among  Adam's  race. 
When,  therefore,  angels  sinned,  they  sinned  on  their  personal 
responsibility.  Amid  the  varieties  of  creation,  and  while 
this  difference  has  been  stated,  it  would  appear  that  the  his- 
tory of  these  intelligences  has  been  given  to  us,  on  purpose 
to  show  the  results  of  personal  responsibility.  On  the  other 
hand,  our  political  relations  differ,  and  the  adamic  constitu- 
tion develops  the  issue  of  social  responsibility.  No  mediator 
has  been  provided  for  the  one  ;  while  for  the  other  a  media- 
tor has  appeared.  Why  is  this?  It  is  a  sovereign  act,  it  may  be 
said.  But  why  refer  an  act  to  sovereignty,  when  a  reason  good 
and  sufficient  is  at  hand?  And  is  not  that  reason  at  hand, 
in  the  present  case,  when  the  fact  is  so  plain  and  distinct, 
that  there  is  a  whole  race  of  intelligent  beings  who  had  not 
personally  sinned,  but  who  were  involved  in  disaster  and  sor- 
row by  the  fault  of  another?  Does  not  the  justice  of  the  case, 
does  not  the  goodness  of  God,  point  to  the  reason?     But 

2.  Adam's  children,  in  consequence  of  the  righteousness 
of  the  mediator,  are  now  so  far  extricated,  from  the  embar- 
rassment in  which  they  were  involved  by  Adam's  sin,  as  to  be 
fairly  and  consistently  put  on  their  personal  responsibility. 
As  by  the  offence  of  Adam  they  became  sinners,  so  by  the 
righteousness  of  Christ  they  have  become  righteous;  and  as 
by  the  offence  of  Adam  they  have  been  brought  into  condem- 
nation, so  by  the  righteousness  of  Christ  they  are  now  in  a 
state  of  justification.  If  then,  now  they  despise  the  rule  of 
faith,  under  obligation  to  which,  and  on  their  personal  res- 
ponsibility, they  are  placed,  "  there  remaineth  no  more  sac- 
rifice for  sins  ;  but  a  certain  fearful  looking  for  of  judgment 
and  fiery  indignation,  which  shall  devour  the  adversaries." 
The  issue  of  personal  responsibility  is  the  same  in  both 
cases.  So  that  in  the  limited  effect,  which  I  have  ascribed 
to  the  adamic  institute,  arises  the  opportunity  for  a  remedial 
dispensation.  If  personal  responsibility  had  been  violated, 
and  the  sentence  of  the  law  in  this  connexion  had  been 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  1 17 

passed,  the  above  scriptural  facts  evince  that  a  mediator  could 
not  have  been  provided. — If  any  then  have  been  apprehen- 
sive, that  the  present  argument  is  likely  to  issue,  either  in  a 
"  socinianised  "  corruption,  or  an  infidel  rejection,  of  the 
mediatorial  principle;  they  may  perhaps  see,  that  this  princi- 
ple is  introduced  by  the  very  door  which  our  argument  throws 
open:  and  furthermore,  they  may,  peradventure,  perceive, 
that  the  popular  representation,  on  this  subject,  shuts  out 
that  principle.  Hence  it  is,  that  theologians  so  often  resort 
to  sovereignly,  in  their  various  lucubrations  ;  for  they  can 
have  no  other  reason,  when  personal  responsibility  is  so  un- 
ceremoniously, yet  inconsiderately,  foreclosed. 

I  consider  the  paradisiacal  constitution  as  nothing  more 
than  apolitical,  or  external,  dispensation,  like  the  mosaic  law, 
by  which  in  fact  it  was  typified.  Its  sanctions  then  were 
temporal  in  their  character.  It  promised  temporal  reward  ; 
it  threatened  temporal  penalties.  It  grew  out  of  the  social  re- 
lations which  had  been  created,  and  could  not  go  beyond 
them,  as  they  formed  a  part  of  the  general  external  system 
which  God  had  set  up.  And  the  object  was  to  display,  un- 
der a  visible,  or  symbolic  form,  the  connexion  between  right- 
eousness and  life:  just  as  God  had  displayed  the  same  gen- 
eral principle  in  creation  itself;  as  every  man  must  do  in  all 
his  actions,  and  in  every  relation  in  which  he  stands  ;  and  as 
in  fact  is  done,  by  contrast,  in  the  various  consequences  of 
Adam's  offence.  The  connexion  between  sin  and  death  is 
now,  not  only  written  in  the  bible,  but  it  is  inscribed  on  the 
material  system,  and  incorporated  in  the  animal  nature  of 
man  himself.  Such  is  the  doctrine  which  I  would  advance 
on  this  subject;  which  results,  as  I  think,  from  the  very  na- 
ture of  the  case  ;  and  which,  as  I  believe,  the  scriptures  will 
most  plainly  and  lucidly  exhibit.     Let  us  try. 

Before,  however,  I  proceed  directly  to  the  argument,  by 
which  I  expect  to  establish  the  doctrine  advanced,  there  is 
one  circumstance,  belonging  to  the  general  subject,  which 
requires  particular  attention.  It  is  generally  supposed, — 
and  no  wonder,  for  our  translators  so  represent  the  fact, — 
that  there  was  a  symbolic  tree  of  life,  placed  in  the  midst  of 
the  garden  ;  and  for  a  purpose,  analogous  to  that  for  which 
the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil  was  similarly 
situated  : — a  kind  of  sacramental  pledge  of  life,  as  the  other 
was  a  sacramental  pledge  of  death.  If  so,  then  the  tree  of 
life  was  an  appendage  to  the  constitution,  and  must  neces- 
sarily be  found  there,  in  connexion    with  its  sacramental 


118  LECTURE*  ON 

companion.  How  then  does  ihe  document  read  ? — "And  the 
Lord  God  commanded  the  man,  saying,  of  every  tree  of  the 
garden  thou  mayest  freely  eat:  but  of  the  tree  of  the  know- 
ledge of  good  and  evil,  thou  shalt  not  eat  of  it;  for  in  the 
day  thou  eatest  thereof  thou  shalt  surely  die."  Here  you 
perceive  is  a  distinct  reference  to  the  one  tree,  while  its  char- 
acter is  carefully  discriminated,  and  yet  not  one  word  about 
a  particular  tree  of  life.  Nay  more, — Adam  receives  ex- 
press and  unrestrained  permission  to  eat  of  every  other  tree 
of  the  garden,  and  nothing  still  is  said  about  a  particular 
tree  of  life.  Still  farther. — Eve  gives  to  Satan  a  distinct  and 
minute  account  of  the  circumstances,  under  which  God  had 
placed  her  partner  and  herself,  and  speaks  of  the  tree  in  the 
midst  of  the  garden  as  the  very  one,  of  which  they  were  not 
permitted  to  eat.  Now  if  there  was  any  distinct  tree  of  life, 
planted  in  the  midst  of  the  garden,  and  made  symbolic  of 
life,  these  omissions  are  wholly  unaccountable.  And  thus 
it  would  seem,  that  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  favorite 
points  of  allusion,  which  they  might  make,  who  suppose  that 
eternal  life  was  promised  in  the  covenant,  is  rendered  very 
equivocal  in  the  outset. 

There  are  but  one  or  two  considerations,  which  can  at  all 
be  urged  in  favor  of  the  prevalent  notion,  that  there  was  a 
particular  tre^  of  life.  The  first  is  derived  from  the  second 
chapter,  and  from  the  account  which  Moses  gives  of  the 
planting  of  the  garden.  He  says, — '-'and  out  of  the  ground 
made  the  Lord  God  to  grow  every  tree  that  is  pleasant  to 
the  sight,  and  good  for  food  ;  the  tree  of  life  also  in  the  midst 
of  the  garden,  and  the  tree  of  knowledge  of  good  and  evil."* 
This  seems  to  be  as  strong  proof  as  could  be  desired  in  sup- 
port of  any  proposition  ;  for  it  is  nothing  short  of  direct  and 
positive  assertion.  Yet  our  surprise,  instead  of  being  aba- 
ted, must  only  be  increased,  when  we  recollect  that  there 
is  not  one  word  about  such  a  tree  in  the  constitution  itself. 
But  any  hebraist  will  tell  you,  that  the  language,  in  which 
the  historian  wrote,  has  but  few  adjectives:  and  that  in  a 
case,  where  an  adjective  is  not  at  hand  to  complete  a  de- 
scription, like  that  under  consideration,  the  noun  would  be 
repeated.  Calling  in  this  philological  peculiarity  to  our  aid, 
and  translating  the  passage  accordingly,  Moses,  would  then 
make  the  following  statement: — "And  out  of  the  ground 
made  the  Lord  God  to  grow  every  tree  that  is  pleasant  to 
the  sight,  and  good  for  food,  and  a  tree  of  life  ;  and  also,  in 

•Terse  9. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  119 

the  midst  of  the  garden  the  tree  of  knowledge  of  good  and 
evil."  The  phrase  tree  of  life  would  then  be  equivalent  to — 
tending,  or  conducive  to,  life: — every  tree  pleasant  to  the 
sight,  good  for  food,  and  conducive  to  life,  the  Lord  God 
made  to  grow  out  of  the  ground.  The  same  form  of  speech 
is  used  in  the  first  chapter, — "the  tree  of  fruit  bearing  fruit 
after  his  kind."*  Such  a  translation  removes  all  discrepancy, 
and  corresponds  with  the  actual  fact;  for  all  the  trees  which 
were  given  for  food,  were  really  trees  of  life. 

Another  plea  may  be  set  up  in  favor  of  the  popular  no- 
tion, and  which  would  be  derived  from  the  third  chapter; 
when  God  assigns  the  reason  why  man  was  put  out  of  the 
garden: — "Lest,"  said  he,  "he  put  forth  his  hand,  and  take 
also  of  the  tree  of  life,  and  eat,  and  live  forever." f  But  all  the 
trees  were  trees  of  life  ;  and  the  word  may  be,  and  ought  to 
be,  so  rendered  here,  unless  it  can  be  shown  that  there  was 
one  particular  tree,  specially  denominated  the  tree  of  life. 
That  the  term  is  in  the  singular  number,  argues  nothing 
against  our  position  ;  because  the  fact  is  the  same  in  the 
second  and  eighth  verses  of  the  sajne  chapter,  where  our 
translators  themselves  have  rendered  the  word  as  plural. — 
Neither  can  any  thing  be  obtained,  in  favor  of  the  common 
notion  on  this  subject,  from  the  circumstance,  that  it  would 
seem,  from  the  phraseology,  that  if  Adam,  after  his  sin,  had 
eaten  of  the  trees  of  life,  he  would  have  lived  forever  ;  be- 
because  the  term  rendered  forever,  is  applied  to  any  period 
whose  termination  is  concealed  from  view.  For  this  reason 
it  is  applied  to  express  eternity;  for  the  same  reason  it  is 
used  in  reference  to  the  period  of  a  man's  natural  life  ;  as 
also  when  a  prospective  view  was  taken  of  the  Jewish  dis- 
pensation, by  Moses  himself.  X 

In  truth  there  was  no  necessity  for  such  a  symbolical  tree, 
inasmuch  as  all  the  trees  were  trees  of  life  ;  nor  can  the  sha- 
dow of  a  reason  be  offered,  as  furnished  by  the  constitution 
itself,  why  any  such  symbol  should  have  been  set  apart. 
This  will  further  appear  when  we  come  to  consider  the  pre- 
cise use  of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil. 

But  let  us  turn  to  the  constitution  itself.  And  now,  that 
no  mistake  may  be  committed,  I  shall  state  the  doctrine,  as 
it  has  been  held  on  this  subject,  in  the  language  of  another, 
whose  ability  and  accuracy,  in  such  a  case,  will  not  be 
doubted. — "The  death,"  says  Dr.  Edwards,  "which  was  to 

•Verse  11.  fv.  22.  J  See  Exod.  xii.  14  ;  xxi.  6.— 1  Sam.  i.  22.  See 
Kennicott's  dissertation  on  the  tree  of  life. 


120  LECTURES  ON 

come  on  Adam,  as  the  punishment  of  his  disobedience,  was 
opposed  to  that  life,  which  he  would  have  had  as  the  re- 
ward of  his  obedience  in  case  he  had  not  sinned.  Obedience 
and  disobedience  are  contraries:  and  the  threatenings  and 
promises,  that  are  sanctions  of  a  law,  are  set  in  direct  oppo- 
sition ;  and  the  promised  rewards  and  threatened  punishments, 
are  what  are  most  properly  taken  as  each  other's  opposites. 
But  none  will  deny,  that  the  life  which  would  have  been 
Adam's  reward,  if  he  had  persisted  in  obedience,  was  eter- 
nal life.  And  therefore  we  argue  justly,  that  the  death 
which  stands  opposed  to  that  life,  is  manifestly  eternal 
death,  a  death  widely  different  from  the  death  we  now  die." 
If  Adam,  for  his  persevering  obedience,  was  to  have  had 
everlasting  life  and  happiness,  in  perfect  holiness,  union 
with  his  maker,  and  enjoyment  of  his  favor,  and  this  was  the 
life  which  was  to  be  confirmed  by  the  tree  of  life;  then 
doubtless  the  death  threatened  in  case  of  disobedience, 
which  stands  in  direct  opposition  to  this,  was  a  being  given 
over  to  everlasting  wickedness  and  misery,  in  separation 
from  God,  and  in  enduring  his  wrath."* 

This  venerable  and  highly  esteemed  author,  whom  many 
seem  disposed  to  place  along  side  of  Calvin  and  Augustin, 
indubitably  asserts  in  the  foregoing  paragraph,  as  it  has  been 
transcribed  from  his  pen,  that  on  the  one  hand,  life,  tem- 
poral, spiritual,  and  eternal,  would  have  been  the  reward  of 
Adam's  obedience  to  the  paradisiacal  statute  ;  and  on  the 
other,  that  death,  temporal,  spiritual,  and  eternal,  has  been 
the  punishment  of  his  disobedience  to  that  statute.  This  doc- 
trine, I  understand  to  have  been  generally  received,  as  a  true 
exposition  of  these  early  transactions.  That  it  has  been 
denied,  at  times,  I  will  readily  admit;  but  then  the  denial 
appears  to  have  been,  for  the  most  part,  if  not  uniformly, 
connected  with  the  rejection  of  some  other  matters  of  vital 
importance.  I  therefore  suppose  that  the  doctrine  in  view 
has  been  so  strenuously  maintained,  because  it  has  been  con- 
ceived that  those  other  important  matters  necessarily  depend 
upon  it.  Yet  it  appears  to  me,  that  while  many  hold  those 
other  matters  as  demonstrably  true,  this  doctrine  they  feel  to 
be  contrary  to  their  own  common  sense.  They  therefore 
would  not  controvert  it,  equivocal  as  they  may  think  it,  being 
afraid  of  the  consequences  which  they  imagine  must  neces- 
sarily result.  I  am  sure  that  such  has  been  the  condition 
of  my  own  mind  ;  but  not  fearing  the  supposed  consequences, 

♦Edwards  on  Original  Sin. — Part  II.  ch.  i.  sec.  2. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  121 

because  I  do  not  think  that  they  would  occur,  I  unhesitat- 
ingly deny  the  doctrine  which  our  author  has  advanced. 

Yet  if  we  grant  unto  this  writer  his  premises,  his  conclu- 
sion must  irrefragably  follow  :  i.  e.  If  life,  temporal,  spiritu- 
al, and  eternal,  was  the  reward  of  obedience  to  the  adamic 
law ;  death,  temporal,  spiritual  and  eternal,  must  have  been 
the  punishment  of  its  transgression.  But  how  does  he 
prove  his  premises?  His  remark  is — "But  none  ivill  deny, 
that  the  reward  was  eternal  life."  In  this  phrase,  as  is  evi- 
dent from  the  closing  part  of  the  paragraph  which  has  been 
quoted,  he  includes  spiritual  and  temporal  life.  But  sup- 
pose that  some  one  should  deny  that  the  reward  was  eternal 
life — what  then  ?  Very  possibly  he  might  be  set  down  as 
insane;  so  universally  have  theologians  and  sceptics  taken 
this  exposition  of  the  brief  record  for  granted.  It  is,  how- 
ever, no  new  thing  that  one  half  of  the  world  should  think 
the  other  half  to  be  crazy :  or  that,  in  the  religious  controver- 
sies which  men  conduct  with  so  much  confidence;  and  while 
they  have  forgotten  the  scriptural  injunction  to  "speak  the 
truth  in  love,"  they  should  resort  to  the  use  of  such  epi- 
thets. The  redeemer  was  thought  to  be  beside  himself, 
and  Paul  was  reproached  with  madness. — But  suppose  that 
some  one  should  deny  our  author's  position.  You  see  he 
assumes  it :  and  from  mere  assumption  draws  his  conclusion. 
His  assumption,  adventurous  though  it  may  seem  to  be, 
I  deny.  Then  it  will  follow,  by  his  own  argument,  that, 
if  life,  temporal,  spiritual,  and  eternal,  was  not  the  reward 
of  obedience  ;  death,  temporal,  spiritual  and  eternal,  cannot 
be  the  punishment  of  disobedience,  unless  his  assumption 
should  be  proved. 

It  has  already  been  abundantly  proved,  that  there  was  no 
such  thing  as  a  symbolical  tree  of  life'.  .'It  deserves  now  to 
be  further  remarked,  that  even  life  itself  is  not  mentioned 
in  the  constitution,  in  any  form.  And  if  so  important  a  re- 
sult as  eternal  life,  involving  the  destiny  of  the  immortal  spi- 
rit, should  be  depending,  is  it  not  singular  that  not  one  sin- 
gle word  should  be  said  about  it  in  the  institute,  in  ex- 
ecution of  which  it  should  occur  ?  How  can  this  be  ?  Is 
there  not  room  to  suspect  some  mistake,  or  to  demand  an 
explanation  ? 

But  perhaps  it  might  be  answered,  that  the  promise  of  life 
was  implied.  How  can  this  be  made  to  appear?  On  the 
supposition  that  Adam  had  obeyed  the  law,  and  did  not  die, 
the  terms  employed  would  be  fully  complied  with,  for  the 


122 


LECTURES  OH 


threatening  should    be    neither    incurred  nor    executed.-*- 
Any  thing  farther  must  be  expressed.     If  nothing  farther  is 
expressed,   we     have    reached   the    limitation    of    the    sta- 
tute.    Eternal  life  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  matter. — But, 
it  may,  perhaps,  be  rejoined,  that  if  man  did  not  die,  he  must 
live  forever.     The  paradisiacal  constitution  does  not  say  so. 
How  can  it  be  otherwise,  you  may  ask  ?     Why,  when  we 
have   reached  the  extremity   of  one  rectoral  principle,  we 
must  refer  to  another.     So  here  :   when  social  responsibili- 
ty runs  out,  we  must  refer  to  personal  responsibility,  and  as- 
certain its  issues  ;   or  we  shall  be  involved  in  a  difficulty  from 
which  there  is  no  avenue  of  escape.     Now,  we  have  seen, 
that  if  Adam  had  obeyed  the  law,  each  human  being  would 
have  been  put   on  his  own    personal   obligations  :    and    a 
change  from  a  natural  into  a  spiritual  body,  being  contem- 
plated in  the  general  system,  each  one  should  have  render- 
ed an  account  for  himself; — and  in  this  connexion  alone  is 
eternal  life  to  be  obtained.     From  the  nature  of  the  case, 
therefore,  eternal  life  could  not  have  been   the  reward  of 
Adam's  obedience,  to  the  law  he  received  in  the  garden  : 
and  an  assurance,  that  he  should  not  die  temporally,  is  all 
that  could  be  implied.     If  eternal  life   was  not,  and  could 
not  be,   the  reward  of  obedience  ;   why,  agreeably  to  the 
argument  which  has  been  quoted,   eternal  death  could  not 
be  the  penalty  due  to  disobedience. 

On  the  supposition  that  life  had  been  promised  in  the 
covenant,  as  it  has  been  called,  and  that  a  symbolical  tree  of 
life  had  been  planted  in  the  garden,  yet  the  argument  we 
are  considering  would  fare  no  better.  For  while  personal 
responsibility  remained  behind,  eternal  life  and  eternal  death 
would  still  be  associated  with  it ;  and  the  political  dispensa- 
tion, which  clothed  Adam  with  his  official  character,  could 
not  have  appropriated  the  sanctions  which  belonged  to  ano- 
ther system.  The  term  life  then,  had  it  been  expressed, 
could  have  imported  nothing  more  than  temporal  life,  and 
the  tree  could  have  symbolised  nothing  else.  Nay,  if 
the  hebrew  word,  rendered  in  the  next  chapter  forever,  had 
been  appended,  nothing  farther  could  have  been  designed ; 
because,  that  term,  signifying  any  period  whose  termination 
is  concealed,  maybe,  and  often  is,  applied  to  a  man's  natu- 
ral life,  as  well  as  to  eternity.  In  no  way  can  the  doc- 
trine under  consideration,  be  inferred  from  the  terms  of  the 
constitution  itself; — either  as  to  their  direct,  or  implied  as- 
seitions.     On  the  contrary,  that  doctrine  cuts  up  by  the  roots 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  123 

every  thing  that  belongs  to  the  subject  of  personal  accounta- 
bility ;  and  presents  to  view  a  judicial  policy,  which  is,  in 
every  way,  and  in  the  highest  degree,  repugnant  to  every 
thing  like  justice.  It  is  no  matter  of  wonder  that  the  veil 
of  mystery  has  been  thrown  over  the  whole  affair;  and  that 
men,  professing  Christianity,  walk  in  darkness,  and  live  in 
doubts,  all  their  days. 

The  argument  in  favor  of  this  doctrine,  cannot  be  derived 
from  God's  interpretation  of  his  own  institute,  when  he  ap- 
pears to  execute  its  sentence.      He  utters  not  one  word 
about    spiritual  or  eternal  death,  in  his  address  to  Adam. 
The  whole  operation  terminates  on  man's   animal  body  ;  and 
the  material  system  of  which  that  body  forms  a  part.     I  know 
it  may  be,  and  has  been,  said,  that  the  sentence  executed, 
was  not  of  "equal extent  "  with  the  evil  threatened;  and  that 
that  apparent  inconsistency  is  to  be  accounted  for,  by  "the  in- 
timations of  mercy,  "   which  had  just  been  given.     Nothing 
is  more  easy  than  to  make  assertions  ; — where  is  the  proof 
of  such  a  strange  commentary  ?    The  tree  planted  in  the  gar- 
den, was  symbolical  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  as 
the  original  terms,  describing  its  objects,  distinctly  specifies. 
Did  the  execution  of  the  sentence  fail  in  this  respect  ?     The 
threatening  was,  "  in  the  day  thou  eatest  thereof,  dyino-  thou 
shalt  die  ;"  and  the  execution  of  that  threatening  was — "  dust 
thou  art,    and  unto  dust   thou  shalt  return."      Where  is  the 
difference  ?     There  is  none.     No  eye  can  see,  no  mind  can 
perceive,  any.     But  it  is  very  apparent  that  spiritual  and  eter- 
nal death  cannot  be  predicated  of  the  last ;   and  therefore  it 
is  said  not  to  be  of  equal  extent  with  the  first,  in  which  spiritu- 
al and  eternal  death  is  supposed  to  be  implied.     And  what  is 
still  more  strange,  while  the  sentence  executed  is  asserted  not 
to  be  equal  in  extent  with  the  evil  threatened,  yet  all  mankind 
are  said  to  be  spiritually  dead  in  Adam.     The  evil  then  has 
actually   come    on   mankind,    far   beyond  the  limits  of  the 
sentence,  as  declared  to  be  executed;  and  that,  notwithstand- 
ing the  :<  intimations  of  mercy  "  which  had  just  been  given. 
In  other  words — All  that  God  professedly  visits  upon  man 
for  this  one  offence,  is  in  so  many  words  declared  to  be  tempo- 
ral death;  and  yet  theologians  have  solemnly  and  unreservedly 
proclaimed  it  to  be  spiritual  death. — Dust  thou  art.  and  unto 
dust  shalt  thou   return, — what  intelligent  or  candid  mind, 
can,  or  would,  by  any  tortuous  course  of  reasoning,  turn  such 
language  into  a  description  of  spiritual  death? 


124  LECTURES  ON 

If  then,  from  the  very  fact  itself,  as  it  is  told  in  language  so 
plain  and  simple,  spiritual  death,  even  though  it  had  been  in- 
tended in  the  original  sentence,  is  not  executed  upon  man,  is 
it  not  abundantly  evident,  that  amid  the  wreck  which  Adam's 
sin  produced,  the  spirit  is  unhurt;  and  that  personal  res- 
ponsibility is  the  very  thing  which  the  mediatorial  system  re- 
gards? So,  for  the  third  time,  we  have  reached  this  same 
conclusion,  by  simply  exhibiting  .scriptural  facts. 

The  deficiency  of  argument,  thus  drawn  from  the  origin- 
al facts,  is  variously  supplied  by  quotations  of  scriptural 
texts,  which  are  derived  from  the  old  testament,  and  belong 
to  the  mosaic  economy,  that  was  itself  the  administration 
of  law  :  or  from  the  new  testament,  that  exhibits  the  finished 
work  of  the  redeemer,  and  by  which  all  are  made  righteous, 
and  are  brought  into  a  justification  of  life  ;  so  that  this  latter 
class  of  texts  is  connected  with  the  results  of  personal  respon- 
sibility. For  example — I  should  be  far  from  denying,  or  even 
doubting,  that  "the  wages  of  sin  is  death,  and  that  the  gift 
of  God  is  eternal  life  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."  But 
any  one  can  see,  that  all  these  judicial  results  meet  a  man 
on  his  own  personal  accountability: — For,  "he  thatbelieveth 
on  the  Son  of  God,  hath  everlasting  life  ;  and  he  that  beliveth 
not  the  Son  shall  not  see  life,  but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth 
on  him."  Such  disjointed  extracts,  taken,  not  only  out  of  the 
local  connexions  in  which  they  are  found,  but  from  the  sys- 
tem to  which  they  belong,  are  poor  adjuvants  of  the  cause 
they  are  employed  to  uphold.  They  all  work  in  the  opposite 
direction  ;  and  serve  to  evince  that,  under  the  mediatorial 
system,  God  is  dealing  with  man  as  an  intelligent  and  res- 
ponsible being,  put  on  his  personal  obligations,  and  called 
to  answer  for  himself. 

I  have  had  frequent  occasion  to  refer  to  the  mosaic  insti- 
tutions as  being  an  administration  of  law.  God  introduced 
it  as  the  law-giver.  Moses,  you  recollect,  could  not  see 
his  face  and  live.  Accordingly,  Ezekiel  describes  the  whole 
house  of  Israel  under  it — or  rather  God  exhihits  the  condi- 
tion of  the  house  of  Israel  under  it,  as  an  assemblage  of  dead 
and  dry  bones.  They  are  thus  set  forth,  not  as  existing  in 
this  state  in  consequence  of  Adam's  sin,  but  as  sinners  against 
law  which  had  been  given  to  themselves  by  Moses.  It  was 
ordained,  it  is  true,  in  the  hand  of  a  mediator;  being  designed 
to  subserve  a  general  mediatorial  purpose,  but  still  it  was 
law.  Hence  Paul  describes  it  as  "  the  ministration  of  death 
and  condemnation  :"#  and  in  his  general  reasonings  on  the 

*2  Cor.  iii. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  125 

relative  position  of  works  and  faith,  it  furnishes  him  with  the 
means  of  demonstrating  the  insufficiency  of  works.  The 
sanctions  of  the  mosaic  law  are  purely  of  a  temporal  charac- 
ter ;  as  I  presume  any  one  may  know,  without  having  any 
great  amount  of  biblical  scholarship.  And  it  is  a  singular 
fact,  much  as  it  may  have  been  overlooked,  that  the  trans- 
gression of  Adam,  and  the  transgressions  of  the  jews,  are 
said  in  the  scriptures  to  be  alike. 

The  psalmist  says, — "  Ye  shall  die  like  Adam,  and  fall 
like  one  of  the  princes."*  The  idea  intended  to  be  con- 
veyed, as  is  very  common  in  the  old  testament,  is  expressed  in 
the  form  of  a  couplet.  To  die  like  Adam,  and  to  die  like 
one  of  the  princes,  is  much  the  same  thing.  The  whole 
psalm  relates  to  official  character.  The  fall  of  Adam  was 
the  fall  of  a  prince,  and  is  to  be  interpreted  on  official 
principles  :  but  not  as  the  execution  of  a  fell  sentence,  which 
sweeps  every  thing  to  destruction,  without  pausing  to  con- 
sider, whether  nothing  remedial  is  left  behind.  And  as  all  the 
jews  constituted  a  nation  of  official  men,  were  God's  kings 
and  priests,  this  kind  of  death  might  be  predicated  of  them 
all.     Hence 

Hosea,  speaking  of  Ephraim,  says, — "They,  like  Adam, 
have  transgressed  the  covenant,  or  dispensation."!  Here 
the  sins,  or  offences  of  the  jews,  are  declared  to  be  like 
Adam's  offence  ;  and  not  only  so,  but  the  dispensations, 
under  which  they  respectively  sinned,  are  compared  together. 
If  so,  Adam's  offence  was  committed  against  a  law,  whose 
sanctions  were  of  a  temporal  character. 

The  apostle  Paul  furnishes,  in  his  elaborate  argument  on 
justification,  the  same  general  idea.t  Here  he  refers  to 
some  who  "had  not  sinned  after  the  similitude  of  Adam's 
transgression."  The  prophets,  as  has  just  been  evinced, 
speak  of  the  jews  as  sinning  like  Adam:  but  Paul  speaks 
of  those  who  did  not  sin  like  Adam;  leaving  the  impression 
that  there  were  some  who  did  sin  like  him.  Let  us  look  at 
the  different  parts  of  his  argument.  But  let  it  be  remem- 
bered, that,  when  sin  is  denied  of  any  of  those  who  lived 
between  Adam  and  Moses,  the  meaning  is  not,  that  they 
had  no  personal  unholiness,  or  were  chargeable  with  no  per- 
sonal  transgression  ;  but  that  their  sin  was  not  committed 
against  law.  Please  to  bear  this  in  mind,  when  you  at 
tend  to  the  following  exposition. 

*Ps.  lxxxii.  7.  f  Ch.  vi.  7.  %  Rom.  y.  12—20. 

11* 


126 


LECTURES  ON 


"  Until  the  law,"  he  says,  "  sin  was  in  the  world:  but 
sin  is  not  imputed  where  there  is  no  law.  Nevertheless, 
death  reigned  from  Adam  to  Moses."  These  things  are 
here  stated: — "  There  was  a  period  when  there  was  no  law: 
— during  that  period  sin  could  not  be  imputed;  because, 
where  no  law  is,  there  is  no  transgression :  but  notwith- 
standing this,  all  the  way  down  from  Adam  to  Moses, 
death,  which  comes  by  sin,  reigned,  even  over  them  who 
had  not  sinned  after  the  similitude  of  Adam's  transgression. 
Adam's  transgression  was  committed  against  law;  sin  like 
his  transgression,  must  be  sin  against  law;  so  that  death 
reigned  over  them  to  whom  sin  could  not  be  imputed. 
If,  there  was  a  period  when  law  was  not,  then  they 
who  lived  during  that  period  could  not  sin  like  Adam. 
Accordingly  he  had  said,  sin  is  not  imputed  where  there  is 
no  law;  and  yet  adds,  "  until  the  law  sin  was  in  the  world; 
and  again,  that  death  reigned,  from  Adam  down  to  Moses, 
even  over  them  that  had  not,  like  Adam,  transgressed  law. 
The  plain  meaning  of  all  this  is — that  wherever  you  find 
death,  it  is  the  consequence  of  sin  :  now  from  Adam  to 
Moses  you  do  find  death;  but  during  all  that  period 
you  do  not  find  law,  and  therefore  cannot  find  sin:  how 
then  is  death  thus  reigning  to  be  accounted  for?  Why 
plainly  by  a  reference  to  Adam's  sin — all  men  are  sinners 
by  Adam's  one  offence: — by  him  sin  entered  into  the  world, 
and  death  by  sin,  and  so  death  passed  upon  all  men,  be- 
cause that  in  him  they  have  all  sinned.  Of  course  it  follows, 
that  they,  on  whom  death  has  come  by  his  offence,  and  not 
by  their  own,  are  the  very  ones  who  did  not  sin  like  Adam; 
had  they  sinned  like  Adam,  death  would  have  come  by 
their  own  offence. 

Again.  The  reason  why  death  did  not  come  by  their 
own  offence,  was  simply  this,  that  they  were  not  under  law. 
Now  though  there  is  a  sense  in  which  this  may  be  predicated 
of  infants  and  idiots,  to  whom  the  passage  has  been  applied  ; 
yet  no  reason  can  be  assigned  why  the  apostle  should  sin- 
gle out  the  infants  and  idiots,  who  lived  between  the  time  of 
Adam  and  Moses.  And  moreover,  if,  during  that  period, 
there  were  any  others  who  were  not  under  law,  the  reference 
must  necessarily  include  them.  Now  in  the  very  outset  of 
his  argument,  he  had  declared  that  the  gentiles  were  not 
under  law;  but  that  the  jews  were.  It  follows  that 
the  gentiles  did  not  sin  like  Adam ; — yet  death  did  reign 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  127 

over  them.  Moreover,  the  jews  themselves  were  not  under 
law  till  Moses  came;  and  yet  death  reigned  over  them. 
The  doctrine  of  the  apostle  is  the  same  taught  by  the  pro- 
phets, viz. — that  the  jews,  under  the  mosaic  law,  did  sin 
like  Adam.  Then  the  two  dispensations, — the  law  under 
which  the  jews  were  placed,  and  the  paradisiacal  statute — 
were  the  same  in  character: — both  of  them  had  temporal 
sanctions. 

But  farther,  the  apostle,  in  this  very  argument,  informs  us 
that  there  were  "many  offences"  or  that  the  offence  had 
abounded:  i.  e.  while  there  were  some,  who,  not  being  un- 
der law,  did  not,  and  could  not,  sin  like  Adam  ;  there  were 
others,  who,  being  under  law,  did  sin  like  him.  Hence  he 
remarks — Thk  law  entered,  so  that  the  offence  hath 
abounded.  This  is  merely  the  opposite  side  of  his  argument. 
The  facts  arG.tbat  the  law  entered,  or  was  given,  by  Moses. 
If  law  was  introduced,  sin  might  be  imputed,  or  the 
offence  might  abound.  Accordingly  such  has  been  the  fact, 
and  the  mosaic  law  proved  to  be  the  ministration  of  death 
and  condemnation.  So  then  the  jews  did  sin  like  Adam, 
and  like  him  were  brought  into  death.  Accordingly  there 
was  a  necessity  that  the  righteousness  of  the  redeemer 
should  go  beyond  the  "one  offence/'  and  cover  these 
"  many  offences"  of  the  jews.  This  was  done,  and  he  is, 
by  means  of  death,  the  mediator  for  the  redemption  of  trans- 
gressions that  were  under  the  first  testament.*  It  must  be 
very  clear,  that  the  dispensation  under  which  Adam  was 
placed,  and  that  afforded  to  the  jews  by  Moses,  were  the 
same  in  character;  and  that  if  spiritual  and  eternal  death 
cannot  be  referred  to  the  one,  neither  can  it  be  referred  to 
the  other. 

This  context,  however,  furnishes  us  with  an  illustration 
of  a  different  kind,  in  view  of  our  general  subject.  The 
apostle  lays  down  the  doctrine,  that  Adam  is  a  figure  of 
Christ:  and  in  correspondence  with  it,  remarks,  that  as  by 
one  man's  offence,  the  many,  i.  e.  all  men,  were  made,  or 
constituted,  sinners,  so  by  one  man's  righteousness,  the  many, 
i.  e.  all  men,  shall  be  made,  or  constituted,  righteous:  And 
again — as  by  the  offence  of  one,  judgment  came  upon  all 
men  to  condemnation;  even  so  the  free  gift  came  upon  all 
men  unto  justification  of  life.  I  know  full  well,  that  some 
would  make  the  words  all  men  refer  to  the  elect.  When- 
ever they  shall  be  able  to  make  this  out,  they  will  be  fairly 

*Heb.  ix.  15. 


128  LECTURES  ON 

entitled  to  their  system.  But  why  should  they  attempt  it, 
when  the  plain  fact  is  before  them,  that  all  men  go  down  to 
the  dust,  in  consequence  of  Adam's  sin  ;  and  that  all  men  are 
raised  from  the  dead,  in  consequence  of  Christ's  righteous- 
ness? This  simple  fact  explains  and  justifies  all  the  apos- 
tle's terms,  and  gives  them  a  very  beautiful  and  important 
signification.  Their  difficulty  lies  here  : — It  is  very  evident, 
that  by  Christ's  righteousness  all  men  are  not  made  person- 
ally holy:  but  somehow  or  other,  in  their  estimation,  all 
men  are  made  by  Adam  personally  sinful.  And  as  the  two 
things  do  not  correspond,  they  must  invent  a  mode  of  ex- 
planation, which  will  preserve  the  assumption  with  which 
they  start. 

Now  it  is  very  evident  that  the  same  terms  may  be,  and 
in  the  scriptures  often  are,  applied  both  to  the  symbol  and 
to  the  thing  which  the  symbol  represents.  When  the  jew 
brought  his  sacrifice  to  the  altar,  and  Christ'offered  his  life, 
the  term  sacrifice  was  unhesitatingly  applied  to  either. 
Aaron  was  a  priest,  and  Christ  was  a  priest.  The  term 
saint,  or  holy  one,  may  be  very  properly  applied  to  an  indi- 
vidual, in  view  of  his  personal  holiness;  but  it  is  equally 
applied  to  the  nation  of  the  jews,  or  to  christian  nations,  in 
view  of  their  being  God's  peculiar  people.  In  like  manner 
the  term  unclean  may  be  applied  to  an  individual,  in  view 
of  his  personal  defilement;  but  it  is  equally  applied  to  the 
gentiles  as  not  being  God's  peculiar  people.  You  remem- 
ber that  Peter  was  prepared  by  a  vision  to  receive  the  mes- 
sengers of  Cornelius;  in  which  vision,  a  great  sheet  was 
let  down  before  him,  containing  all  manner  of  beasts,  clean 
and  unclean.  When  commanded  to  kill  and  eat,  he  answer- 
ed, "Not  so,  Lord;  for  I  have  never  eaten  any  thing  that 
is  common  or  unclean."  The  answer  he  received  was, — 
"  What  God  hath  cleansed  that  call  not  thou  common."  All 
this  he  himself  explains  in  the  following  manner: — "Ye 
know  that  it  is  an  unlawful  thing  for  a  man  that  is  zjeiv  to 
keep  company,  or  come  unto  one  of  another  nation;  but 
God  hath  showed  me  that  I  should  not  call  any  man  common 
or  unclean;  therefore  came  I  unto  you  without  gainsaying, 
as  soon  as  I  was  sent  for."*  The  terms  saint  and  unclean, 
are  not  here  applied,  excepting  in  a  symbolical  sense. 

You  also  remember  that  Paul,  speaking  on  the  subject  of 
divorce,  in  his  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  has  the  fol- 
lowing observations: — "The  unbelieving  husband  is  sanctifi- 

♦Actsx.  12,  13,  14—28,29. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT  129 

ed  by  the  wife,  and  the  unbelieving  wife  is  sanctified  by  the 
husband  ;  else  were  your  children  unclean  ;  but  now  are 
they  holy."  Personal  sanctification,  personal  cleanness, 
personal  holiness,  are  not  meant  by  the  apostle  ;  neither  is 
it  in  the  Jewish  ceremonies  to  which  he  refers  :  for  as  to  the 
first,  it  is  an  unbelieving  husband  or  wife  that  is  sanctified, 
while  the  children  might  not  have  known  the  right  hand  from 
the  left,  nor  have  done  either  good  or  evil :  and  as  to  the 
second,  he  is  giving  directions  to  a  christian  church. 

In  like  manner  he  represents  the  Jewish  economy  as  a 
ministration  of  law,  of  condemnation,  of  death.  Of  course 
they  who  were  under  it  were  sinnkrs.  On  the  other  hand 
he  describes  the  new  testament,  as  the  ministration  of  the 
spirit,  of  righteousness  and  of  life.  By  parity  of  reason, 
they  who  are  under  it  are  in  a  state  of  justification,  or  are 
righteous.  Not  that  all  the  jews  were  personally  sinful 
and  condemned,  so  that  they  had  no  personal  acceptance 
with  God ;  nor  yet  that  all  who  live  under  the  new  testament 
are  personally  righteous.  Hence  he  also  says  to  Peter — 
"We  are  jews  by  nature,  and  not  sinners  of  the  gentiles.  So 
there  is  a  double  sense  in  which  the  terms  righteous  and  sin- 
ner must  be  viewed.  If  primarily  they  refer  to  personal  qual- 
ifications, secondarily  they  are  merely  official.  Take  this 
second,  official  sense,  and  the  apostle's  argument  stands  out 
clear  and  satisfactory. 

But  as  the  redeemer's  work  has  been  thus  brought  up  be- 
fore us,  let  me  ask,  whether  he  was  made  under  the  law  ? 
Was  he  really  under  the  law,  or  was  he  not  put  there  for  an 
official  purpose  ?  Did  he  not  bear  our  sins  in  his  own  body  ? 
But  did  he  thefeby  become  personally  a  sinner?  Did  he  not 
die  for  our  sins — but  did  he  die  because  he  was  personally  a 
sinner?  Did  he  not  redeem  us  from  under  the  curse  of  the 
law,  by  being  made  a  curse  for  us  : — yet  did  he  die  either 
spiritually  or  eternally?  If  spiritual  and  eternal  death  is  the 
curse  which  the  law  denounced  on  us,  and  he  did  not  die 
spiritually  and  eternally,  then  did  he  die  in  our  room,  or  as 
our  substitute ;  or  did  he  endure  the  curse  of  the  law  ?  Do 
not  the  scriptures  say  that  he  was  put  to  death  in  the  flesh  ? 
— In  fine,  can  any  one  assign  the  reason,  why,  when  Paul 
declares — "Christ  has  redeemed  us,  being  made  a  curse  for 
us  :"*  he  should  prove  it  by  a  quotation  from  the  mosaic  law, 
saying — "For  it  is  written,  cursed  is  every  one  that  hangeth 
on  a  tree  ?"t 

*Gal.  iii.  13.  fDeut.  xxi.  22,  23. 


130  LECTURES  ON 

Understand  me.  These  questions  are  asked,  not  with 
any  intention  to  throw  any  doubt  over  the  mediatorial  char- 
acter of  our  redeemer,  as  though  he  was  not  our  substitute, 
or  had  not  been  made  a  curse  on  our  account;  but  merely 
to  show,  that  as  he  did  not  die  spiritually  and  eternally,  spir- 
itual and  eternal  death  could  not  have  been  included  in  the 
penalty  of  the  adamic  statute.  And  as  his  being  a  curse, — 
not  for  the  jews  alone,  but  as  prefigured  by  Adam, — has 
been  proved  by  the  mosaic  law,  the  mosaic  law  and  the 
paradisiacal  constitution  must  be  the  same  in  principle,  in 
their  reference  to  life  and  death.  As  Christ  died  in  the 
flesh,  Adam  by  his  sin,  brought  death  in  the  flesh:  and  as 
the  mosaic  law  pronounced  temporal  death,  the  adamic  in- 
stitute could  do  no  more. 

In  this  connexion  it  may  be  also  asked,  what  does  the 
baptist  mean,  when  he  says — "Behold  the  Lamb  of  God  that 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world!"  His  view  appears  to 
be  precisely  the  same  taken  by  Paul,  when  he  speaks  of  the 
one  offence,  by  which  all  men  are  made,  or  constituted,  sin- 
ners, and  are  brought  into  condemnation.  The  sin  of  the 
world  is  this  one  offence;  and  Christ  comes  to  take  it 
away.  Should  this  sin  lead  to  temporal,  spiritual  and  eter- 
nal death,  of  course  Christ  by  his  righteousness  must  take 
away  temporal,  spiritual  and  eternal  death  from  all  the  world, 
which,  it  must  be  admitted  by  all,  is  not  the  fact.  For  while 
the  baptist  speaks  about  the  world,  the  apostle  speaks  of 
the  many,  or  all,  on  whom  Adam's  offence  has  entailed  its 
disastrous  consequences.  To  all  men  then  the  baptist  re- 
fers, when  he  says  that  Christ  takes  away  the  sin  of  the 
world  ;  and  there  is  no  room  left  for  any  interpretation,  but 
that  which  would  be  established  by  the  fact  of  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead  :  in  which  all  men  are  shown  to  be  brought 
into  a  justification  of  life,  by  the  righteousness  of  Christ. 

There  are  some  analogies,  afforded  in  the  scriptural  his- 
tory, which  cannot  be  explained,  excepting  on  the  principle 
by  which  I  have  now  interpreted  the  original  law;  analo- 
gies, to  which  no  one  would  ever  think  of  ascribing  any 
thing  more  than  a  secular,  or  external,  agency.  In  conse- 
quence of  the  flood,  the  life  of  man  was  very  much  shorten- 
ed; and  by  the  same  physical  instrumentality  here  employed 
— a  curse  upon  the  ground.  Yet  no  one  would  ever  sup- 
pose that  spiritual,  or  eternal  death  was  thereby  introduced. 
An  effect  is  produced  on  the  whole  material  system,  and  on 
the  animal  powers  of  man ;  the  use  of  animal  food  became 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  131 

necessary  ;  the  common  and  universal  depravity,  as  it  had 
been  betrayed  in  the  preceding  ages,  is  referred  to  with 
grief;  and  God  places  his  bow  in  the  clouds,  as  a  testimony 
that  he  would  no  farther  curse  the  ground  for  man's  sake.  But 
notwithstanding  these  facts,  no  one  would  ever  think  of  re- 
ferring spiritual  and  eternal  death  to  the  curse,  then  pro- 
nounced on  the  ground.  Such  an  effect,  as  has  been 
contemplated  in  our  exposition  of  the  adamic  dispensation, 
involving  the  animal  nature  of  man,  and  his  secular  associa- 
tions, without  going  any  farther,  may  be  produced  in  our 
world,  and  as  a  divine  judgment,  without  being  censured  as 
fanciful  or  absurd.  In  supposing  the  effects  of  Adam's 
transgression,  when  God  cursed  the  ground  for  his  sake,  to  be 
similar  in  their  character ;  the  principle  of  exposition,  thus 
adopted,  has  nothing  objectionable  or  derogatory  in  itself 
For  as  it  is  thus  sustained  by  scriptural  fact,  and  admitted 
to  be,  on  an  equally  extensive  scale,  the  very  course  of  judicial 
policy  adopted  by  Jehovah  in  a  subsequent  case  ;  unless 
there  can  be  something,  indubitably  and  demonstrably  clear, 
to  show  that  the  divine  judgment  was  of  a  different  kind  in 
Adam's  case,  the  interpretation  now  given  is  unassailable. 
Moreover,  the  ground,  having  been  cursed  for  Adam's  sake, 
this  very  course  of  policy,  developed  as  succeeding  the 
flood,  whether  there  was  any  thing  farther  included  or  not, 
was  pursued  in  the  event  of  the  fall.  If  there  be  any  far- 
ther proceedings  involved  in  the  execution  of  the  threaten- 
ed calamities,  they  who  advocate  them  have  the  burden  of 
proof  upon  themselves;  while  the  explanation  now  given, 
and  so  far  as  it  goes,  cannot  be  rejected,  without  impeach- 
ing the  wisdom  and  providence  of  God. 

And  that  such  a  mode  of  divine  administration  might  be 
conducted  in  common  with  the  remedial  scheme,  is  also  illus- 
trated by  analogy :  For,  when  the  ground  was  cursed  for 
Adam's  sake,  God  yet  gave  to  him  the  promise  of  "the  seed 
of  the  woman."  So  when  again,  further  temporal  calamities 
overtook  the  human  family,  in  consequence  of  the  flood, 
God  entered  into  covenant  with  Noah;  who  appears,  as 
Paul  explains  his  official  character,  as  "the  Heir  of  the 
righteousness  of  faith."  The  covenant  made  with  him,  in- 
cludes all  mankind,  as  its  own  particulars  abundantly  evince. 
Yet  a  mere  external  condition  is  described,  and  spiritual  and 
eternal  life  is  left  in  its  own  original  connexions, — a  matter 
belonging  to  personal  responsibility.  In  like  manner,  God 
made  a  covenant  with  Abraham,  in  which  he  sustains  the 


1  32  LECTURES  ON 

official  character  of  Heir  of  the  world  ;  yet  nothing  more 
than  external  advantages  or  privileges  were  secured.  Spi- 
ritual references  abounded, — the  scenic  display  was  appro- 
priate and  beautiful, — the  righteousness  of  faith  was  brilliant- 
ly set  forth,— the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  wrought  out,  in  his  pro- 
vidence, a  most  magnificent  "allegory," — but  each  individ- 
ual under  it,  has  his  own  eternal  life  reserved  as  the  object 
of  his  personal  responsibility,  to  be  sought,  secured,  and 
enjoyed,  by  intercourse  between  God  and  his  own  spirit. 

Nor  has  the  analogy  yet  run  out. — The  actual  transgres- 
sions of  mankind  have  been  very  much  modified,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  external  position  created  by  these  symbolic 
systems  respectively.  After  the  fall,  they  became  infidels 
— after  the  flood,  they  became  idolaters — under  the  Jewish 
economy,  the  children  of  Abraham  became  formalists — un- 
der the  christian  dispensation, — what  are  we? — the  advo- 
cates of  Jewish  dogmas,  intermixed  with  gentile  philosoph- 
ism.  And  yet  shall  we  sternly  reject  our  external  associa- 
tions, in  which  good  and  evil  are  so  variously  and  uniformly 
intermingled,  as  accounting  for  the  depravity  of  mankind, 
who  derive  their  ideas  from  external  spectacle,  and  by 
their  external  senses  ? — But  this  subject  will  present  itself 
hereafter. 

Having  these  analogies,  we  may  speak  with  some  confi- 
dence as  to  the  accuracy  of  our  principle  of  exposition. 
And  the  more  so,  when  descending  to  the  details  afforded 
by  the  new  testament,  we  hear  Paul  declare, — "In  me,  i.  e. 
in  my  flesh,  there  dwelleth  no  good  thing. — I  see  another 
law  in  my  members,  warring  against  the  law  of  my  mind, 
and  bringing  me  into  captivity  to  the  law  of  sin  which  is  in 
my  members. — With  my  mind  I  myself  serve  the  law  of 
God  ;  but  with  the  flesh  the  law  of  sin.  O  wretched  man 
that  I  am,  who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death  1 — 
But  I  keep  my  body  under,  and  bring  it  into  subjection,  lest 
that  by  any  means,  when  I  have  preached  to  others,  I  myself 
should  be  a  cast-a-way. — What  the  law  could  not  do,  in  that 
it  was  weak  through  the  flesh,  God  sent  his  Son  in  the  like- 
ness of  sinful  flesh  to  do. — "Mortify  therefore  your  mem- 
bers, which  are  upon  the  earth."  A  thousand  other  like  ex- 
pressions might  be  quoted  ;  and  they  would  all  be  sustained, 
as  philosophically  accurate,  in  the  view  now  given.  But  this 
matter  also  must  be  reserved. 

Unless  I  am  greatly  mistaken,  the  doctrine,  which  I  have 
advanced,  is  necessarily,  but  covertly,  admitted  by  theolo- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  133 

gians,  against  themselves.  For  not  only  do  their  comments 
upon  regeneration  imply  the  principle  for  which  I  contend, 
and  put  the  christian  into  the  very  state  I  have  described; 
but  they  strenuously  maintain  the  necessity  for  the  Spirit's 
operations,  to  accomplish  such  a  change  in  the  human  con- 
stitution, that  man's  spirit  may  be  able  to  understand  the 
gospel.  And  when  it  is  done,  so  that  with  the  mind  the 
believer  really  does  serve  the  law  of  God,  yet  they  cannot 
get  sin  and  death  out  of  his  flesh.  What  then  is  the  real 
difference  between  us  ?  I  have  announced  that  the  offence 
of  Adam  did  not  produce  that,  which  they  say  the  Spirit  of 
God  must  remove.  And  what  advantage  do  they  really  gain  ; 
can  more  glory  redound  to  God  by  saying,  that  one  di- 
vine constitution  removed  a  difficulty;  than  by  saying,  that 
another  divine  constitution  did  not  produce  that  difficulty? 
What  benefit  do  they  secure,  by  supposing  that  God  does 
away  by  supernatural  means,  that  which  he  had  done  by  na- 
tural means? — There  must  necessarily  be  a  sophism  in  their 
speculations.  And  it  arises,  I  imagine,  from  some  conceit 
they  have  entertained  of  the  superior  value  of  that  which  is 
supernatural,  derived  from  mistaking  the  precise  use  of  mi- 
racles. The  mere  display  of  divinity  would  appear,  with 
them,  to  be  every  thing,  and  the  object  of  that  display  nothing. 
But  there  is  another  way,  by  which  they  covertly  employ 
the  principle  here  set  forth.  In  preaching  the  gospel  to 
men,  do  they  not  address  the  conscience?  All  men  have 
conscience.  Paul  tells  us,  that  among  the  gentiles,  "their 
consciences  are  continually  accusing  or  else  excusing  one 
another."  And  what  is  conscience  ?  Is  it  matter?  Is  it 
mind  ?  Is  it  neither  ? — It  is  very  common  to  represent  it  as 
the  vice  gerent  of  God  in  the  bosom  of  man  ; — an  idea,  bor- 
rowed, I  presume,  from  the  book  of  proverbs,  in  which  the 
wise  man  says, — "The  spirit  of  man  is  the  candle  of  the 
Lord."  But  if  conscience  be  the  spirit,  or  a  property  of  the 
spirit  of  man,  is  conscience  dead?  Or  if  the  spirit  of  man 
be  the  candle  of  the  Lord,  is  the  spirit  dead?  Do  any  ap- 
peal to  conscience,  as  though  it  were  a  mere  cold  fragment 
of  death,  bereft  of  all  animation  or  power?  Or  in  those  ap- 
peals, does  not  every  one  try  to  bring  forward  views,  of 
whose  truth  the  mind  is,  or  may  be,  conscious  ?  And  is  it 
not  in  this  very  connexion  where  conscience  is  found ;  be- 
ing in  itself,  that  very  measure  of  spiritual  illumination  and 
life,  which  any  individual  may  possess? — May  not  con- 
science be  defiled — seared  as  with  a  hot  iron — loaded  with 
12 


134  LECTURES  ON 

dead  works  ?  And  when  such  is  the  case,  is  that  its  natural 
state  ;  or  is  it  the  result  of  a  course  of  actual  transgression, 
in  consequence  of  which  God  gives  a  man  up  to  "  a  repro- 
bate mind  ?"  Either  then  it  is  folly  to  talk  about  mankind 
having  conscience,  or  inconsistent  to  maintain  that  they  are 
spiritually  dead  by  Adam's  sin  ?  In  a  state  of  spiritual  death, 
as  that  phrase  is  figuratively  used,  men  may  be,  when  degra- 
ded by  the  long  established  habits  of  loathsome  vice,  or  ma- 
lignant hostility  to  truth  ;  but  then  conscience  goes  too — de- 
filed— seared — shrouded  in  death. 

But  now  it  may  be  asked — Even  admitting  that  the  para- 
disiacal constitution  has  been  correctly  set  forth,  what  was 
its  use?  Did  not  God  unnecessarily  expose  his  creature  to 
the  fetches  of  temptation ;  by  an  arbitrary  institute,  endan- 
ger his  standing;  and  so  sport  with  his  constitutional  weak- 
ness? By  no  means.  We  are  informed  that  it  was  not 
good  that  man  should  be  alone.  A  companion  was  accord- 
ingly created,  and  an  enlarged  condition  of  social  existence 
was  thus  contemplated.  Social  responsibility  now  arises, 
and  its  results  would  be  of  the  most  diversified  and  extend- 
ed character.  The  young  must  learn  from  the  old,  and  the 
inferior  from  the  superior.  Parental  influence,  derived  from 
parental  example,  would  be  most  decisive;  and  a  moral  im- 
pression would  be  left,  which  would  be  good  or  bad,  accord- 
ing to  the  character  of  the  influence.  This  is  human  na- 
ture, which,  in  no  form,  could  sustain  an  operation  more  im- 
portant, or  lead  to  issues,  either  more  diversified  or  extend- 
ed. Here  then  the  paradisiacal  constitution  comes  in.  The 
head  of  the  race  held  an  official  connexion,  by  the  results 
of  which,  the  relation,  between  righteousness  and  life  on  the 
one  hand,  and  sin  and  death  on  the  other,  is  put  into  the 
most  splendid  form,  and  made  to  subserve  most  decisively 
its  intended  purpose.  Nor  could  Adam's  official  character 
be  regulated  by  any  other  law  ;  or,  being  so  regulated,  ter- 
minal in  any  other  consequences.  And  did  mankind  re- 
flect on  the  origin  of  temporal  death,  or  duly  estimate  the 
moral  influence  of  the  varied  afflictions  of  life,  they  would 
neither  so  severely  censure  the  providence  of  God,  so  list- 
lessly refer  to  the  effect  of  Adam's  sin,  or  talk  so  ignorantly 
and  spasmodically  about  death. 

At  the  same  time,  when  Adam  was  put  under  this  parti- 
cular institute,  it  deserves  to  be  specially  noticed,  that  he 
was  taken  from  the  place  where  he  had  been  created,  and 
put  into  the  garden,  which  had  its  own  peculiar  advantages 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  135 

and  privileges.  Official  character  always  confers  honor; 
and  enlarges  the  sphere  of  useful  and  dignified  action,  in  refer- 
ence to  him  on  whom  it  is  bestowed,  as  well  as  advantage 
to  those  who  are  subjected  to  its  control.  It  is  no  degrada- 
tion to  a  child  that  he  should  be  subject  to  his  parents,  or 
to  a  nation  that  it  should  be  subject  to  its  prince.  On  the 
contrary,  the  intellectual  faculties  of  children  are  most  hap- 
pily evolved  under  a  proper  parental  superintendence  ;  while 
a  nation  enjoys  peace,  and  gains  renown,  under  the  discreet 
legislation  and  benignant  providence  of  a  wise  prince.—- 
So,  if  Adam  had  obeyed  the  law,  under  which,  in  his  official 
character,  he  was  placed  ;  all  his  offspring  would  have  been 
deeply  indebted  to,  and  highly  benefitted  by,  his  fidelity. 
And  even  as  the  fact  has  turned  out,  the  connexion  between 
sin  and  death  is  so  fully  and  undeniably  established,  by  the 
official  consequences  of  his  sin,  that  infidelity,  which  affects 
to  laugh  at  the  inspiration  of  the  bible,  must  cower  to  the 
analogous  demonstration  of  nature. 

Such  is  the  most  philosophical  view,  which  can  be  taken 
of  the  results  of  official  character.  They  may  be  seen  ex- 
emplified in  every  department  of  social  life.  And  is  it 
not  the  scriptural  view  in  the  case  before  us?  "Cursed is 
the  ground,"  said  God  to  Adam,  "  for  thy  sake."  What 
is  the  meaning  of  this  phrase,  for  thy  sake?  Have  we  any 
analogous  cases,  in  which  this  language  is  used,  from  which 
its  meaning  may  be  ascertained? — The  following  examples 
are  offered. 

If,  said  God,  I  find  in  Sodom,  fifty — forty  and  five — thirty — 
twenty — ten  righteous  men,  I  will  spare  all  the  place/or  their 
sakes. — I  will  multiply  thy  seed  for  Abraham's  sake. — In  thy 
days  I  will  not  do  it,  for  David  thy  father's  sake. — I  will  give 
one  tribe  to  thy  son  for  David,  my  servant's  sake,  and  for 
Jerusalem's  sake,  which  I  have  chosen. — For  my  name's 
sake  will  I  defer  mine  anger.  Expressions  of  this  kind  a- 
bound  in  the  scriptures.  What  is  their  meaning?  What 
kind  of  legislative,  or  providential,  operation,  are  they  in- 
tended to  intimate  ? 

Here  theologians  begin  to  talk  to  us  about  merit  and  demer- 
it, and  finally  run  off  into  a  sort  of  commercial  account;  until 
they  affect  to  strike  an  accurate  balance,  when  the  elect  de- 
pend on  Christ's  righteousness,  but  suffer  Adam's  sin  to  come 
in  by  wholesale,  as  though  a  correct  arithmetical  calculation 
were  entirely  unnecessary.  But  these  are  not  scriptural 
terms.     They  sustain  a  sectarian  dogma,  or  a  piece  of  false 


136  LECTURES  ON 

philosophy;  but  distort,  while  they  profess  to  advance,  mor- 
al science.  The  object  of  the  inspired  penman  evidently  is, 
to  refer  to  the  practical  influence  of  the  agent,  to  which  they  as- 
cribe the  effects  contemplated.  Ten  righteous  men  might  have 
excited  an  influence,  powerful  enough  to  have  regenerated 
the  city  of  Sodom  ; — even  as  the  preaching  of  Jonah  brought 
the  city  of  Nineveh  into  sackcloth  and  ashes.  They  might 
not,  it  is  true.  But  our  God  acts  not  from  omniscience  ab- 
stractedly considered.  His  judgment  is  according  to  facts  ; 
and  his  long  suffering  waits  on  the  development.  And  so 
the  argument  might  be  made  out,  in  view  of  the  other  cases 
quoted. 

Such  would  have  been  the  effect  of  Adam's  righteousness. 
Such  ought  to  be  the  effect  of  Adam's  sin.  That  is — Each 
individual  would  have  been  instructed  by  Adam's  obedience 
and  its  consequence,  that  eternal  life  depended  on  obedience 
to  the  law  inscribed  on  our  nature;  or  was  indissolubly  con- 
nected with  personal  holiness:  as  by  Adam's  disobedience 
and  its  consequence,  it  is  now  demonstrated  to  every  one 
that  eternal  death  will  be  the  consequence;  if,  as  personal 
transgressors  against  the  law  of  our  own  nature,  we  are  not 
regenerated  and  sanctified.  The  law  written  on  the  heart 
requires  us  to  do  and  live  ;  and  the  adamic  constitution  was 
intended  to  afford  an  external  symbol,  by  which  that  law, 
and  its  operations  should  be  visibly  illustrated. 

Sceptics  have  been  not  a  little  sardonic  in  their  witty 
objections  on  this  subject ;  but  they  have  forgotten  their  phil- 
osophy in  their  love  of  pleasantry.  Would  God,  say  they, 
have  brought  upon  mankind  their  present  amount  of  suffer- 
ing, because  Adam  ate  an  apple?  But  then  the  question  is, 
can  official  sin  detail  a  general  calamity  ?  Or,  going  back 
to  the  original  state  of  our  being,  could  a  different  or  a  more 
appropriate  test  have  been  provided? 

Presuming  that  our  subject  has  been  sufficiently  elucidated, 
I  might  pause  for  the  present.  I  only  delay  to  remark,  that 
the  popular  doctrine  on  the  adamic  constitution  is  not  now 
assailed  for  the  first  time.  You  may  go  back,  discovering 
many  similar  attempts  at  different  times,  until  you  would  find 
the  early  fathers  contending  about  the  matter,  and  Chrysos- 
tom  and  Augustin  taking  different  sides.  They  have  passed 
away  to  the  generations  of  the  dead;  and  others  have  again  and 
again  occupied  their  places.  Now  our  turn  has  come.  We 
have  the  bible  in  our  hands,  and  must  decide  for  ourselves. 
What  did  they  say  ?    It  is  imbecility  to  ask,    Read,  judge,  de- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  137 

cide  for  yourselves.  Their  talents,  like  their  rights,  were  no 
better  than  your  own.  And  if  you  will  only  examine,  you 
may  decide,  even  with  superior  accuracy.  I  leave  the  merits 
of  the  argument  with  you  : — and  may  God  Almighty  bless 
your  prayerful  deliberations. 


LECTURE  VI. 

Fall. — Its  circumstances. — Its    effects. —  Use  of  the    Tree  of 
Knowledge  of  good  and  evil. — Physical  agent  by  which 
death  was  inflicted. — Nature  of  death. —  Condition  of  all 
men. — Law  and  Gospel. — Human  depravity. 
In  the  last  lecture  I  described  the  paradisiacal  constitu- 
tion as  a  political  institute  ;   and  as  intended  by  its  results, 
to  serve  a  symbolical  purpose.      This  principle  of  external 
display,  carried  out  with  a  view  to  intellectual  or  spiritual 
benefit,  belongs  to  the  whole  material  system;  and  explains 
the  relation   between   matter  and  mind.     The  heavens  and 
earth,  in  this  way,  declare  the  glory  of  God  ;  or  by  visible 
representation  manifest  the   invisible   things  of  his  nature. 
Legal  ordinances  typified  moral  privileges.     The  natural  re- 
lations were  artificial  means  of  accomplishing  spiritual  ob- 
jects.    Hieroglyphics  were  mere    representatives  of  other 
things. — While  language  was  circumscribed,  and  possessed 
few  words,    its   terms  were  taken  out  of  their  natural,  and 
applied  in  a  tropical,  sense. — Prophecy  is  the  language  of 
signs   and  figures,    and  speaks  more  by  pictures  than   by 
sounds. — In  fact,  all  language  is  full  of  figure,  and  is  so  from 
absolute  necessity : — not    that  this  circumstance,  as  might 
be  supposed,  is  a  mere  peculiarity  of  the  orientals  ;  but  it  be- 
longs to  the  primitive  state  of  society,  and  attends  it,  even 
when  advanced  to  the  greatest  degree  of  refinement. 

To  exemplify  more  minutely  : — A  tiger  would  represent 
fierceness; — a  lion,  courage; — an  ox,  strength; — a  serpent, 
wisdom; — a  mountain,  firmness  ; — a  palm-tree,  the  righteous 
man  ; — a  green  bay  tree,  the  wicked  man.  In  the  chapters 
before  us — a  tree  in  the  midst  of  the  garden,  was  the  symbol 
of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil ; — the  garden  itself  typi- 
fied a  condition  of  great  external  blessedness,  under  a  right- 
eous political  administration; — the  bruised  head  of  the  ser- 
pent signified  the  broken  power  of  the  god  of  the  world; — 


138  LECTURES  ON 

the  sacrifice  pointed  to  the  offering  of  life,  which  Immanuei 
should  make,  while  it  illustrated  the  mortification  of  the  lusts 
of  the  flesh, which  is  an  important  and  imperious  duty  bindinor 
on  all  men  ; — the  cherubim,  at  the  east  end  of  the  garden 
of  Eden,  manifested  God  as  dwelling  among  men  ; — Adam 
himself,  as  having  the  dominion,  was  the  image  of  Jehovah 
as  Lord  of  all. 

In  later  times,  the  prophet,  priest,  and  king,  with  their 
respective  services  ;  Melchizedek  and  Moses,  distinguish- 
ed as  they  were  in  the  peculiarities  of  their  own  official  re- 
lations, and  the  carnal  ordinances  with  which  they  were  re- 
spectively concerned  ;  were  only  vivid  emblems  of  the  Son 
of  God,  in  view  of  his  mediatorial  character  and  action. 
Abraham,  as  a  covenant  head,  was  constituted  a  pattern  of 
the  righteousness  of  faith  ;  while  in  his  family  history,  we  are 
furnished  with  a  series  of  most  beautiful  allegories.  The 
Sinai  covenant  was  "the  ministration  of  death  and  condem- 
nation," showing  that  it  is  impossible  to  be  saved  by  law; 
and  the  new  testament  is  "the  ministration  of  righteousness 
and  life,"  evincing  that  the  sinner  may  attain  to  everlast- 
ing life  by  faith  in  a  mediator.  Christ  is  the  image  of  the 
invisible  God,  the  brightness  of  his  glory,  to  which  we  are 
predestinated  to  be  conformed.  A  husband  is  an  image  to 
his  wife, — a  parent  to  his  child,  a  ruler  to  his  subject, — a  su- 
perior to  his  inferior.  The  principle  which  I  am  thus  press- 
ing on  your  consideration,  ramifies  itself  through  all  society  ; 
follows  human  life  in  all  its  sinuosities  ;  and  leavs  no  social 
relation,  natural,  political,  or  religious,  free  of  its  control. 
The  paradisiacal  institute,  in  the  view  which  has  been  given 
of  its  nature  and  official  objects,  is  only  conformed,  by  our 
argument,  to  the  whole  course  of  divine  legislation  among 
men.  He  who  would  plead  for  the  exception  of  that  origi- 
nal statute,  or  hesitate  to  admit  that  where  Christ  is  an  im- 
acre  Adam  must  also  ber  must  show  the  reason  why, 

In  the  primitive  state  of  society,  when  mankind  would 
slowly  imitate  the  hieroglyphical  system,  by  which  God  of- 
fers, through  our  external  senses,  the  subjects  of  our  intellec- 
tual perception,  their  first  efforts  would  necessarily  be  very 
defective.  But  as  population  enlarged,  as  the  objects  of 
thought  became  varied,  and  social  interests  grew  multiform, 
as  society  advanced  in  refinement,  and  intellectual  men  de- 
voted their  leisure  to  educate  the  general  mind,  oral  tradition 
would  give  place  to  historical  record,  and  hieroglyphics  to  the 
more  extended  system   of  alphabetical    language.     If  then 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT'.  139 

God,  who  had  originally  taught  men,  according  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  their  own  nature  ;  and  had  carried  those  principles 
as  far  as  their  circumstances  required  ;  should  make  any 
farther  communication,  would  he  not  adopt  their  later  modes 
of  imparting  instruction?  Is  there  any  impropriety,  or  ir- 
rationality in  the  idea,  that  in  the  advance  of  society,  when 
an  accumulation  of  labor  should  call  for  its  division,  and 
other  classes  of  official  men  should  be  needed  ;  that  God 
should  make  known  his  communications  by  official  men, 
specially  appointed  ?  Or  is  there  any  thing  offensive  and 
unphilosophical  in  the  notion,  that  such  official  men  should 
speak,  or  write,  as  the  nature  of  the  case  or  the  circumstan- 
ces of  society  might  demand  ?  Where  then  is  this  tax  on 
human  credulity,  which  the  doctrine  of  the  preaching  of  the 
cross,  or  the  inspiration  of  the  holy  scriptures,  is  declared 
to  impose? — But  you  admit  those  doctrines  : — see  you  not, 
that  external  means  are  thus  multiplied ; — that  minis- 
terial men  are  examples,  whose  moral  influence  must  ne- 
cessarily be  extended  and  powerful ;  and  that  the  scriptures 
themselves,  are  but  a  transcript  of  the  divine  character? 

It  deserves  farther  consideration,  that  even  when  the  of* 
ficial  men,  who  were  employed  at  any  particular  time,  were 
permitted  to  use  the  written  language  of  their  country,  yet 
the  ancient  symbolical  method  of  communicating  truth  was 
not  abandoned.  Moses  wrote  his  roll  of  the  judaic  history 
and  constitution  ;  and  God  himself  wrote  the  law  on  two 
tables  of  stone.  But  the  history  which  Moses  wrote,  while 
it  gathered  all  the  ancient  symbols  into  a  good  and  safe 
keeping  ;  recorded  also  the  circumstances  under  which  orig- 
inated a  whole  series  of  new  symbols,  or  a  whole  range  of 
carnal  ordinances,  made  up  of  the  elements  of  the  world.  The 
prophets  wrote  ;  but  they  incorporated  an  extensive  system 
of  prophetic  hieroglyphic,  and  symbol,  in  the  communica- 
tions they  made.  The  apostles  and  the  evangelists  wrote  ;  but 
the  master,  by  the  institutions  he  set  up,  preaching,  baptism, 
and  the  Lord's  Supper,  secured,  by  symbolically  representing, 
the  great  points  of  his  mediatorial  enterprise.  The  reason 
of  all  this  is  evident.  The  condition  of  society  might  call  for 
writing;  but  the  meaning  of  symbols  is  more  fixed  and  uni- 
form, while  an  alphabetical  language  is  both  local  and  change- 
able. And  under  this  view,  it  is  not  a  little  strange,  that 
multitudes,  who  profess  to  regard  divine  things,  so  carelessly 
consider,  or  so  habitually  neglect,  divine  ordinances. 


1  40  LECTURES  ON 

It  would  seem  then,  that  the  principle,  adopted  in  expo- 
sition of  the  adamic  dispensation,  betrays  no  hasty  or  im- 
mature speculation  ;  but  runs  through  all  nature,  and  gives 
character  to  all  God's  institutions.  In  fact,  if  the  paradisia- 
cal law  be  not  interpreted  on  that  principle,  it  will  stand 
alone;  as  contradictory  to  the  whole  course  of  divine  le- 
gislation, as  it  is  destructive  of  personal  responsibility,  and 
therefore  contrary  to  the  nature  of  man. — But  waving  any 
farther  general  remarks,  let  us  proceed  with  our  analysis. 

How  did  the  fall  occur?  Is  it  to  be  accounted  for  by  na- 
tural means  ;  or  must  we  refer  it  to  a  supernatural  agency, 
which  Adam  was  unable  to  resist  ?  Was  there  any  secret 
influence  exerted  by  Jehovah,  in  pursuance  of  his  own  eter- 
nal and  irreversible  decree  ; — did  he  permit  an  intelligent 
being  to  exert  a  superior  power,  which  Adam  had  no  capaci- 
ty to  oppose; — or  did  man  commit  transgression  when  he 
might  have  avoided  it?  These  questions  are  of  paramount 
importance  ;  and  it  is  presumed  they  may  be  very  fairly  and 
distinctly  answered.  Certainly  the  historian  professes  to 
give  us  an  account  of  the  whole  catastrophe  :  and  there  is,  as 
certainly,  a  wide  difference  between  a  crime  that  is  commit- 
ted from  compulsion,  and  that  which  results  from  the  exer- 
cise of  a  man's  own  free-agency. 

I  must  here  call  up  to  your  recollection  the  fact,  which 
has  been  the  basis  of  the  whole  of  the  preceding  argument, 
and  of  every  theoretic  view  that  has  been  developed:  viz. 
That  man  has  no  innate  ideas.  I  am  aware  that  this  fact 
has  been,  in  various  ages,  a  matter  of  harsh  and  protracted 
controversy.  A  field  of  conflict  has  been  marked  out,  in 
which  have  appeared  such  men  as  Aristotle,  Plato,  Des- 
cartes, Hume,  Reid,  Locke,  and  I  know  not  how  many 
more,  as  combatants.  But  my  impression  is,  that  this 
subject  has  been  finally  and  satisfactorily  elucidated  by 
Locke;  and  that,  notwithstanding  the  opposition  he  met 
with,  every  one,  who  is  at  all  acquainted  with  the  philoso- 
phy of  mind,  would  freely  concede  the  doctrine  I  have 
stated.  And  certainly,  any  man,  who  is  governed  by  can- 
dor and  a  love  of  truth  ;  or  who  is  not  infatuated  by  the  con- 
ceits of  a  false  philosophy,  or  the  prejudices  of  an  illiberal 
sectarianism  ;  has  only  to  observe  the  peculiarities  of  his 
own  constitution,  and  the  daily  operations  of  his  own  mind, 
to  be  fully  satisfied  in  relation  to  the  point  in  question. 

But  if  the  fact,  thus  averred,  cannot  be  disputed,  its  truth 
cannot  be  affected  by  the  character  of  the  ideas  which  a  man 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  141 

may  have:  i.  e.  whether  his  ideas  shall  be  good  or  bad,  they 
are  not  innate.  He  may  have  an  innate  capacity  to  make  a 
choice;  or  he  may  labor  under  external  difficulties  in  making 
a  choice;  but  his  choice  is  neither  holy  nor  sinful,  until  it  is 
made.  If  his  ideas  are  not  innate,  but  are  derived  from  ex- 
ternal sources,  they  can  be  neither  good  nor  bad,  until 
so  derived  ;  because  they  do  not  exist.  Knowing  the  charac- 
ter of  external  objects,  or  the  difficulties  in  which  he  may 
be  involved,  you  may  anticipate  what  the  character  of  his 
ideas  will  be.  But  if  those  external  objects  be  of  a  mixed 
character,  and  good  and  evil  are  thereby  presented  to  an 
intelligent  and  free  agent,  with  the  intention  that  he  should 
make  a  wise  and  deliberate  choice;  you  can  readily  see 
what  ought  to  be  the  character  of  his  ideas.  And  if  you  can 
perceive  this,  you  have  apprehended  the  principle  of  per- 
sonal responsibility,  and  can  be  at  no  loss  to  explain  its  phi- 
losophy. 

There  is  a  very  common  notion,  that  the  actual  trans- 
gressions of  mankind  cannotbe  explained,  but  by  admitting, 
that  their  intellectual  nature  is  previously  corrupted.  If 
by  this,  it  is  intended  merely  to  assert,  that  a  man  commits 
transgression,  because  he  has  cherished  erroneous  impres- 
sions derived  from  external  objects;  or  that,  when  good  and 
evil  are  presented  before  him  as  an  intelligent  and  a  free 
agent,  he  has  chosen  evil,  this  view  is  scripturally  cor- 
rect. For, — "As  a  man  think eth  in  his  heart,  so  is  he. 
Out  of  the  heart  proceed  all  evil  thoughts.  Every  man  is 
tempted,  when  he  is  drawn  away  of  his  own  lust,  and  en- 
ticed. Then  when  lust  hath  conceived,  it  bringeth  forth 
sin."  But  if,  transcending  these  limits,  it  is  intended  to 
advance  the  doctrine,  that  the  intellectual  nature  of  man  is 
sinful  before  it  has  derived  any  ideas  from  external  objects, 
or  before  lust  has  been  conceived,  then  I  demur,  not  being 
able  to  understand  how  such  a  thing  can  be.  For,  if  lust 
has  not  been  conceived,  there  can  be  no  ideas :  and  if  lust 
has  been  conceived  independent  of  external  objects,  then 
there  must  be  innate  ideas; — which,  from  the  principles  al- 
ready elucidated,  there  cannotbe. 

But  that  such  an  exhibition  of  the  human  mind,  as  that 
which  I  reprobate,  cannot  be  true,  if  there  be  no  innate  ideas, 
and  if  the  spirit  comes  from  God,  is  still  farther  evident, 
from  the  facts  in  the  historical  sketch  before  us.  Sin  may 
be  explained,  without  maintaining  such  an  unscriptural  and 
unphilosophical  view  of  the  human  mind.     Adam  and  Eve 


142  LECTURES  ON 

had  no  corrupt  nature  when  God  formed  them,  or  before 
lust  was  conceived.  Neither  mind  nor  body  was  previously 
corrupted,  in  their  case.  The  fact  was  the  same  with  regard 
to  fallen  angels.  They  had  no  previously  corrupt  nature, 
unless  it  can  be  supposed  that  God  created  them  sinners; — ■ 
which  no  man  in  his  senses  can  suppose. 

Nor  is  this  all:  Moses  goes  on  circumstantially  to  relate 
how  it  happened  that  our  first  parents  did  sin;   and  instead 
of  referring  the  fact  to  their  innate  depravity,  he  ascribes  it 
to   ideas   which  they  derived  from  external  circumstances. 
The  serpent  beguiled  Eve.     She  saw  that  the  tree  was  good 
for  food,  and  that  it  was  pleasant  to  the  eyes,  and  a  tree  to 
be  desired  to  make  one  wise.     Having  eaten,  she  gave  of 
the  fruit  to   her  husband  ;   and  he  hearkened  to  the  voice  of 
his  wife.     This  is  the  whole  account;  and  it  is  not  unlike  a 
thousand   things   which   have   occurred  in  every  age,  and 
which    we  may  see   every  day.     Evidently,  as  the  apostle 
James  explains  the  whole  subject  of  sin,  in  relation  to  every 
human  being,  and   when   considered  as  personal  transgres- 
sion, lust  was  conceived,  and  then  sin  was  brought  forth. 
If  there  had  been  a  corrupt  nature,  previous  to  the  enter- 
tainment of  the    ideas   acquired  from    external   objects,  it 
would  seem  that   sin   could  scarcely  have  been  committed 
more  promptly.    Let  it  be  remembered  that  I  am  reasoning 
on  the  general  principle,  that  the  existence  of  actual  trans- 
gression   does  not  necessarily  imply  a  previously   corrupt 
nature.     I  do  not  deny  that  a  previously  corrupted  nature 
would  lead  to  sin — i.  e.  to  a  course  of  action  that  would  be 
contrary  to  a  law,  which,  on  abstract  principles,  is  pure  and 
holy;   neither  have  I  yet  argued   out   the  consequences  of 
Adam's  sin  upon  all  mankind. 

It  farther  deserves  your  consideration,  that  we  have  a 
general  subject  illustrated  here,  by  more  than  a  single  or  insu- 
lated fact: — there  is  a  great  variety  of  circumstances.  The 
fallen  angels  had  been  very  differently  situated,  and  fell  on 
personal  responsibility,  exhibiting  a  range  of  intellectual 
aberrations,  as  varied  and  extensive  as  their  number  or  their 
personal  characters;  unless  theologians  can  carry  out,  and 
establish,  their  system  of  a  dull  and  impracticable  uniformity 
in  the  invisible  world.  Adam  was  a  social  head,  Eve  was 
not.  The  one  fell  under  social,  the  other  under  personal 
responsibility.  The  one  was  male,  the  other  female.  The 
one  was  tempted  by  the  serpent,  the  other  by  his  wife.  The 
one  brought   death  into  the  world  and  all  our  woes;  the 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  143 

other  entailed  consequences  peculiar  to  her  own  condition. 
A  greater  variety  of  circumstance  cannot  be  presented  in 
the  whole  extent  of  human  existence:  for  all  human  life  is 
now  developed  in  the  issues  of  social  and  personal  responsi- 
bility; in  the  influence  of  male  or  female  character;  and  in 
the  mingled  operations  of  different  beings  of  diversified  ta- 
lents. Yet  a  previously  corrupt  intellectual  nature  is  not  at 
all  necessary  to  account  for  the  multiform  results.  But 
enough  of  this. 

In  stating  the  facts  of  the  case,  Moses  informs  us  that  a 
serpent  talked  with  and  beguiled  Eve:  and  this  apparently 
strange  matter  requires  our  attention.  Concerning  it,  I  re- 
mark, 

1.  That  he  means  to  inform  us,  that  a  literal  serpent  was 
employed  as  the  agent  in  this  transaction.  Because,  (1)  he 
compares  it  with  the  beasts  of  the  field ;  with  which  he 
would  not  have  compared  an  intellectual  spirit.  (*2)  God 
says  to  the  serpent, — "  Thou  art  cursed  above  all  cattle,  and 
above  every  beast  of  the  field;  upon  thy.  belly  shalt  thou  go, 
and  dust  shalt  thou  eat  all  the  days  of  thy  life''  which  could 
not  be  predicated  of  an  intellectual  being.  (3)  God  farther 
said  to  the  serpent — "  I  will  put  enmity  between  thee  and 
the  woman,  between  thy  seed  and  her  seed;  it  shall  bruise 
thy  head,  and  thou  shalt  bruise  his  heel:" — which  is  a  uni- 
versal fact  in  the  history  of  the  serpent.  (4)  The  subtlety  of 
the  serpent  is  proverbial;  hence  Jesus  says  to  his  disciples, 
"be  ye  wise  as  serpents."  (5)  Paul  tells  us  that  the  serpent 
beguiled  Eve.  (6)  "  No  part  of  ancient  mythology  is  more 
curious,  though,  in  some  respects,  more  intricate  and  per- 
plexed, than  the  worship  of  the  serpent.  Nearly  allied  to 
that  of  the  cherubic  symbols,  it  rivals  it  in  point  of  univer- 
sality, and  closely  resembles  it  in  point  of  application."* 
(7)  The  curse  pronounced  on  the  serpent,  constituted  a 
visible  and  suitable  emblem, — on  the  same  principle  on 
which  every  thing  else  is  represented  to  man,  i.  e.  external 
symbol — in  illustration  of  the  promise  that  the  redeemer 
should  break  up  the  dominion  of  the  god  of  the  world,  or 
"  destroy  the  works  of  the  devil."  And  this,  it  appears  to 
me,  would  be  accomplished  without  supposing  a  change  of 
the  serpent's  form.     His  eating  dust  is  enough. 

♦Faber's  Orig.  of  Pag.  Idol.  vol.  I.  p.  439.  It  is  also  said  that  "  in 
the  orgies  of  Bacchus  Maenoles,  (or  the  mad)  his  worshippers  were 
crowned  with  serpents,  and  yelled  out  Eve,  Eve,  even  her  by  whom  the 
transgression  came."     Parkhurst's  Heb.  Lex. 


144  LECTURES   ON 

2.  That  Moses  intends  to  inform  us,  that  the  serpent  was 
the  mere  agent  of  an  intellectual  spirit,  is  also  evident:  be- 
cause— (1)  There  is  very  superior  intelligence  discovered. 
The  address  was  made  to  Eve,  rather  than  to  Adam.  Adam 
was  "  the  image  and  glory  of  God,"  and  on  him  rested  the 
official  responsibility  :  Eve  was  the  glory  of  the  man  ;"  and 
therefore  might  be  the  more  easily  assailed,  not  feeling  the 
full  force  of  that  responsibility. — The  speaker  talks  of  the 
Elohim,  a  term  which  expresses  the  whole  mode  of  the  divine 
manifestation  to  us;  and  at  the  same  time  remarks,  concern- 
ing the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  in  a  manner  which  shows 
him  to  be  acquainted  with  the  state  of  things  in  the  invisible 
world. — And  the  very  choice  of  his  agent,  was  as  deep-laid 
an  artifice  as  the  nature  of  the  case  would  admit  of.  (2) 
Satan,  in  the  new  testament,  is  described  as  "  that  old  ser- 
pent, called  the  Devil,  and  Satan,  which  deceiveth  the  whole 
world."*  (3)  One  part  of  the  mediator's  work  was  to  con- 
demn, judge,  or  cast  out  the  prince  of  the  world.  "  For  this 
purpose  was  he  manifested,  even  to  destroy  the  works  of  the 
devil :" — to  "  destroy  hirn  that  had  the  power  of  death,  that  is 
the  devil." 

I  am  aware,  as  I  have  before  remarked,  that  this  whole 
subject  of  satanic  influence,  and  that  of  the  fall,  or  even  the 
existence  of  angels,  has  been  disputed  ;  and  that  an  attempt 
has  been  made  to  resolve  all  the  scriptural  allusions  to  such 
matters  into  metaphors.  But  why,  or  what  advantage  is  to 
be  gained,  either  in  scriptural  exposition  or  philosophical 
speculation,  I  cannot  see.  If,  in  addition  to  what  has  been 
said,  intellectual  beings  here  can  influence  each  other,  or 
modify  the  forms  of  matter;  is  it  unphilosophical  that  intel- 
lectual beings,  though  of  another  and  a  higher  order,  should 
modify  matter,  and  thereby  influence  us?  Does  not  God  by 
such  means  affect  us,  both  in  communicating  good  and 
inflicting  evil ;  and  do  we  not  thereby  affect  each  other?  If 
there  be  such  a  race  of  intellectual  beings,  as  our  argument 
contemplates,  how  else  could  they  affect  us  than  through 
the  instrumentality  of  matter?  Admitting  the  fact  of  their 
existence,  and  remembering  the  peculiarity  of  our  being,  as 
obtaining  our  ideas  through  the  medium  of  our  external 
senses,  is  not  every  other  circumstance  in  perfect  good  keep- 
ing with  the  whole  subject  ? 

Admitting  the  doctrine  of  spiritual  agency,  still  there  does 
not  seem  to  have  been  any  thing  very  unmanageable  in   the 
*Rev.  xii.9. 


MORAL  GOVERN  iMENT.  145 

temptation  stated.  For  whatever  may  be  the  supposed  in- 
tellectual superiority  of  the  deceiver,  yet  the  sphere  of  his 
action,  in  that  case,  as  well  as  in  all  other  temptations  to 
which  we  may  be  subject,  was  circumscribed  by  the  laws  of 
the  material  system.  There  is  no  evidence  that  the  literal 
serpent  actually  spoke.  Such  might  have  been  the  appear- 
ance; but  as  the  scriptures  unequivocally  ascribe  the  power 
of  death  to  the  devil,  and  as  it  is  his  kingdom  which  the  re- 
deemer came  to  overthrow  ;  the  power  of  speech,  manifested 
on  the  occasion,  was  only  farther  proof  of  the  presence  of 
an  intellectual  agent.  Eve  was  deceived: — The  appearance 
was  false.  On  the  other  hand,  Adam  was  tempted  by  his 
wife,  and  was  not  deceived.*  Many  a  lying  wonder  and  sign, 
and  much  deceivableness  of  unrighteousness,  after  the  power 
ofsatan,  has  the  world  seen  since  that  day  ;  in  view  of  which, 
we  can  discern  nothing  but  a  scene  of  human  guilt,  followed 
by  its  natural  and  merited  consequences. 

Take  a  glance  at  the  other  side.  The  creator  had  placed 
our  first  parents  in  the  midst  of  the  happiest  circumstances. 
Blessed  in  each  other's  society — surrounded  by  every  thing 
excellent  and  good,  redolent  and  lovely — the  countenance 
of  their  Lord  radiant  with  smiles  and  beaming  with  love — 
their  access  to  him  free  and  unrestrained — themselves  dis- 
tinctly warned  against  the  evil  which  overtook  them,  and 
solemnly  forbidden  to  do  the  very  thing  they  did  do — 
what  more  could  an  intelligent  being  desire  ?  An  intelli- 
gent being  asks  for  information  : — information  they  had. 
A  dependent  creature  seeks  for  happiness: — they  possessed 
every  thing  that  could  make  them  happy.  The  providence 
of  Jehovah  presided  over  the  whole  scene; — his  Spirit  dwelt 
with  them.  God  had  done  every  thing  for  them  which  their 
nature(required,orthe  peculiarity  of  their  situation  demanded. 
He  could  not  have  gone  farther  without  destroying  their  free- 
agency.  He  could  not  have  thrown  farther  restraint  upon 
the  subtle  adversary,  than  that  under  which  the  temptation 
itself  shows  him  to  have  been  placed  : — for  there  was  no  ap- 
peal made  to  them  but  through  external  circumstances,  nor 
could  they  else  have  been  overcome.  What  more  would 
they  have  had?  Or  can  any  one  imagine,  that  a  righteous 
Lord  made  them  responsible  for  an  amount  of  power  which 
they  never  possessed? 

Theologians,  however,  have  put  this  whole  affair  in  such 
a  light,  that  every  one  must  feel  some  misgiving  in  relation 

•  1  Tim.  ii.  14. 
13 


146  LECTtJftES  oti 

to  it.  From  their  premises,  the  conclusion  that  God  is  the 
author  of  sin,  to  many  a  mind  appears  unavoidable;  and 
perhaps  some  would  admit  the  conclusion,  rather  than  aban- 
don the  premises.  Here  theological  science  and  the  com- 
mon sense  of  mankind  are  at  utter  variance.  The  argu- 
ment, whose  conclusion  appears  so  offensive  to  some,  and 
which  I  apprehend  all  would  gladly  explain  away,  is  derived 
from  the  abstract  peifections  of  godhead,  about  which  we 
can  know  nothing.  God  has  manifested  himself,  and  beyond 
that  manifestation  our  inquiries  cannot  be  carried,  without 
becoming  involved  in  perplexing  conjecture. 

The  argument  would  run  thus : — Nothing  can  be  fore- 
known as  certain  which  is  not  fixed  as  certain  ;  therefore, 
according  to  the  order  of  nature,  predestination  is  the  basis 
of  foreknowledge. — Or  thus; — whatever  is  foreknown  must 
certainly  come  to  pass ;  therefore — what?  Foreknowledge 
is  as  sure  a  basis  on  which  to  rest  the  doctrine  of  fate,  as 
predestination  itself  can  be.  Then  Adam  fell  because  it  was 
foreknown  or  predestinated  that  he  should  fall.  If  this  con- 
clusion be  admitted,  is  not  God  the  author  of  sin  ?  If  it  be 
denied,  how  came  Adam  to  fall  ?  He  fell  as  a  free-agent, 
it  may  be  replied.  But  how  could  he  fall  as  a  free-agent, 
when  it  was  a  certain  and  necessary  thing  that  he  should 
fall,  and  all  contingency  is  shut  out  from  consideration. 
Here  is  a  mystery.  For  how  can  these  two  things  be  recon- 
ciled together? — Perhaps,  it  might  be  offered  as  an  alleviat- 
ing circumstance,  that  God  intended  to  do  mankind  a  greater 
good  by  introducing  the  gospel.  But  then  we  may  answer, 
that,  independent  of  God's  being  thus  represented  to  do  evil 
that  good  may  come, — a  thing  which  he  forbids  to  his  crea- 
tures— this  notion  does  not  relieve  the  original  argument; 
because  it  still  makes  the  fall  to  be  necessary,  in  pursuance 
of  a  divine  determination. 

But  is  it  not  evident  that  we  have  in  the  present  case  a 
constitution  with  two  sides  ?  Was  not  obedience  contemplat- 
ed, as  well  as  disobedience?  Was  not  penalty  opposed  by  re- 
ward? And  did  not  Jehovah  foreknow  what  would  occur  in 
one  view,  as  well  as  in  the  other  ?  If  then  foreknowledge  ne- 
cessarily implies  predestination,  it  must  have  been  predes- 
tinated that  Adam  should  fall,  and  that  he  should  not  fall. 
As  this  cannot  be,  it  simply  follows  that  foreknowledge  does 
not  necessarily  imply  fore-ordination;  and  that  God  might 
foreknow  a  train  of  circumstances  which  he  did  not  ordain; 
but  which  are  to  be  traced  simply  to  the  responsibility  and 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  147 

agency  of  the  creature.  Nor  in  this  conclusion  is  there  any 
thing  derogatory  to  the  character  of  Jehovah;  or  that  can 
in  the  least  degree  detract  from  the  wisdom  or  righteousness 
of  his  lordship  over  our  world;  while  the  free-agency  of  the 
creature  is  entirely  relieved,  and  stands  forth  sustained  in 
all  its  individuality  of  operation. 

Certainly  the  scriptures  do  so  exhibit  the  divine  character. 
God  takes  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  his  creatures;  he  does 
every  thing,  consistently  with  their  nature,  which  he  can  do  ; 
he  would  gather  them,  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  brood  under 
her  wings,  but  they  will  not. — "Let  no  man  say,  when  he 
is  tempted,  lam  tempted  of  God,  for  God  cannot  be  tempted 
with  evil,  neither  tempteth  he  any  man :  but  every  man  is 
tempted  when  he  is  drawn  away  of  his  own  lust,  and  is  en- 
ticed." Language  cannot  be  plainer,  or  more  to  the  point; 
it  seems  to  have  been  framed  on  purpose  to  meet  the  spe- 
culations of  the  day,  which  either  directly  or  indirectly 
charged  God  with  being  the  author  of  sin. 

Cleaving  to  a  false  mode  of  reasoning,  some  may  say, — 
still  it  is  evident  that  Adam  fell  by  divine  permission.  But 
then  the  question  comes  up,  what  is  permission  ?  Does  it 
imply,  that  any  extraneous  and  irresistible  force  Was  allow- 
ed, under  which  Adam  could  not  avoid  sinning?  If  this  is 
meant,  then  the  fatalism  thus  asserted,  is  no  better  than  the 
fatalism  resulting  from  predestination,  as  it  has  been  urged 
in  view  of  this  avernian  catastrophe. — Is  it  not  evident,  from 
the  fact  of  the  temptation,  as  well  as  from  the  divine  declar- 
ation in  reference  to  the  fall — Behold,  the  man  is  become 
as  one  of  us  to  know  good  and  evil,  that  good  and  evil  are 
intermingled  elsewhere  than  in  our  immediate  world ;  and 
consequently,  that  it  is  over  such  a  condition  of  things  that 
Jehovah  presides?  Does  the  existence  of  evil  in  our  world, 
imply,  that  when  one  human  being  tempts  another,  he  who 
is  so  tempted,  is  by  a  divine  agency  led  into  sin  ?  Or  would 
you  infer  any  injustice  in  the  divine  administration  which 
does  not  paralyse  the  arm  of  every  wicked  man,  and  house 
the  righteous,  so  that  they  should  neither  see  nor  hear  the 
evil  that  is  around  them?  Would  you  have  the  great  gov- 
ernor of  the  world  to  break  up  all  the  relations  of  life,  re- 
verse the  law  of  probation,  and  make  you  holy  by  force?  If 
not,  then  extend  the  same  rectoral  principle  to  the  relations 
of  mind,  and  to  the  circumstances  attendant  on  those  rela- 
tions, and  where  is  your  difficulty  ?  Under  such  a  view, 
permission  does  not  imply  force ;   the  divine  government 


148  LECTURES  ON 

appears  to  be  regulated  according  to  the  nature  of  things; 
and  the  free-agency  of  man  is  preserved  in  its  own  distinct- 
ness, and  occupies  its  own  appropriate  place. 

Take  an  example.  Satan  was  permitted  to  tempt  Job ; 
and,  as  you  all  know,  sore  and  heavy  were  his  calamities. 
Far  more  severely  dealt  with,  than,  it  would  seem,  Adam 
had  been,  for  he  was  bereaved  of  all  his  outward  comforts, 
which  Adam  was  not ;  and  well  nigh  reduced  to  that 
solitude,  which  Adam,  it  would  appear,  apprehended  ; — 
yet  Job  held  fast  to  his  integrity.  Nay,  he  seems  among  the 
other  subjects  of  his  glorying,  to  glory  over  Adam.  "Did  I 
cover  my  transgressions  as  Adam,  by  hiding  mine  iniquity 
in  my  bosom  ?  Did  I  fear  a  great  multitude,  or  did  the 
contempt  of  families  terrify  me,  that  I  kept  silence,  and 
went  not  out  at  the  door?*  True,  God  found  reason  to 
condemn  Job,  but  did  not  find  fault  with  every  thing  he  had 
said.  On  the  contrary,  his  criticising  and  carping  friends 
were  censured,  while  he  was  consecrated  as  a  priest,  to  min- 
ister in  sacrifice  for  their  sins  ;  and  was  most  abundantly 
blessed  in  the  end. — This  divine  permission  then,  which 
may  be  supposed  to  have  been  granted  when  Satan  found 
his  way  to  the  garden  of  Eden,  does  by  no  means  imply  any 
necessity  to  sin  imposed  on  Adam  ;  but  refers  to  a  course  of 
administration  necessarily  belonging  to  a  state  of  things,  in 
which  good  and  evil  are  intermingled. 

I  have  been  the  more  particular  in  an  effort  to  elucidate 
Adam's  transgression,  because  it  is  an  epitome  of  all  that 
follows,  in  the  varied  and  melancholy  history  of  mankind.  If 
the  argument  pursued,  does  not  shake  the  harsh  prejudices 
of  some  determined  sectarian;  it  may  perhaps  rescue  some 
ingenuous  youth,  who,  dissatisfied  with  the  metaphysical 
subtleties  he  cannot  unravel,  is  hovering  on  the  verge  of 
dreary  infidelity.  And  many  a  young  man,  in  this  day  of 
free  and  unrestrained  inquiry,  like  the  youth  in  the  garden 
of  Gethsemane,  is  wistfully  looking  to  the  end  of  all  these 
distractions,  in  hope  that  the  clouds  will  be  scattered,  his 
own  mind  relieved,  and  his  way  to  eternal  glory  made  bright 
and  clear. — To  the  prayerful  and  candid  attention  of  such 
an  one,  I  offer  my  exposition  of  this  momentous  subject : 
while,  at  the  same  time,  I  do  seriously  and  earnestly  wish,  that 
ministers  and  christians,  forgetting  the  past,  or  learning  from 
its  misdeeds,  would  look  more  to  the  intellectual  and  inde-s 
pendent  character  of  the  coming  generations, 

*Jobxxxi.  33,  34, 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  149 

We  must  now  turn  to  consider  the  effects  which  eating 
of  the  forbidden  fruit  produced  upon  our  first  parents.  These 
effects  have  been  represented  as  of  the  most  fearful  charac- 
ter;— nothing  less  than  that  this  guilty  pair  became  "dead  in 
sin,  and  wholly  defiled  in  all  the  faculties  and  parts  of  soul  and 
body."  How  wise  men,  with  their  bibles  in  their  hands, 
could  make  so  broad  and  unreserved  a  statement  as  this,  it 
is  very  difficult  to  explain  ;  unless  that  they  carelessly,  and 
without  investigation,  copied  the  errors  of  preceding  ages. 
There  are  many  things  which  come  from  the  fathers  instead 
of  the  bible  ;  things  which  have  formed  a  chaplet  of  immor- 
tality around  the  brows  of  Augustin  and  his  compeers,  but 
which  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  testimony  of  the  pro- 
phets and  apostles.  The  facts,  as  the  scriptures  report 
them,  afford  a  very  different  case.     Look  at  them — 

1.  Adam's  sin  was  conventional.  He  fell  as  an  official 
man.  And  certainly  it  is  not  the  fact  now,  that  the  trans- 
gression of  a  man  in  an  official  character,  forthwith  deso- 
lates all  his  private  character.  Many  men  do,  in  their  place 
as  members  of  a  corporate  body,  what  they  would  shrink 
from  doing  as  individuals.  A  man  may,  in  such  a  case, 
ruin  his  personal  reputation  forever  ;  but  it  does  not  neces- 
sarily follow  that  he  should.  In  his  personal  responsibility 
the  remedial  principle  must  be  sought;  and  it  may  be,  for  it 
often  is,  found  there. 

2.  Even  if  Adam's  sin  had  not  been  official,  but,  like 
Eve's,  had  been  personal,  such  a  fearful  disaster,  as  we  are 
considering,  would  not  necessarily  follow.  For  though  the 
scriptures  have  said,  that  whosoever  shall  keep  the  whole 
law,  and  yet  offend  in  one  point,  he  is  guilty  of  all;"  and 
though  the  principle  of  law  may  be  "the  soul  that  sinneth 
shall  die;"  so  that  there  can  be  no  recovery  by  law;  yet  it 
does  not  follow  that  a  remedial  operation  may  be  utterly  im- 
practicable under  another  system  of  government.  The  me- 
diatorial principle  of  the  gospel,  viz.  "if  any  man  confess 
his  sin,  God  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  him  his  sin,  and 
to  cleanse  him  from  ail  unrighteousness,"  might  very  natu- 
rally and  readily  be  introduced.  The  very  fact  of  his  con- 
fession, may  indicate  a  fragment  of  moral  character  yet  re- 
maining, like  ten  righteous  men  who  should  have  saved  the 
city  of  Sodom,  or  like  "a  little  leaven  that  will  leaven  the 
whole  lump;"  or  it  may  be,  that  fact  might  evince  a  general 
state  of  good  feeling.  On  such  a  fact,  a  government,  that 
is  both  wise  and  gracious,  may  very  safely  extend  pardon, 


150  LECTURES  0« 

and  thus  save  a  transgressor  who  would  otherwise,  accord- 
ing to  the  progressive  course  of  sin,  become  utterly  base. — 
And  if  one  sin  could  not,  or  did  not  so  desolate  the  moral 
character  of  Adam,  how  should  it  so  utterly  desecrate  all 
the  moral  energies  of  his  children  ? 

3.  The  history  charges  him  with  but  one  sin.  God  ar- 
raigns him  for  but  one  sin.  Paul  traces  the  consequences 
which  have  come  down  on  all  mankind  to  one  offence. 
What  ingenuity  is  required,  and  wasted,  in  an  attempt  to 
show  that  Adam  violated  each  command  of  the  decalogue; 
and  that  death  has  come  upon  all  the  world  because  that  he 
became  spiritually  dead  and  wholly  defiled  ! 

What  is  the  proof  by  which  such  a  fearful  indictment  is 
established? 

1.  He  was  so  stupid,  it  will  be  said,  as  to  think  of  hiding 
himself  from  an  omnipresent  God.  But  such  is  not  the  his- 
torical fact.  For  he  heard  the  Voice  of  the  Lord  God  walk- 
ing in  the  garden,  and  he  hid  himself  from  the  manifested, 
or  personal,  presence  of  Jehovah.  Was  Moses  spiritually 
dead  and  wholly  defiled  when  he  exceedingly  feared  and 
quaked  ? 

2.  It  is  said  that  Eve  "laid  the  blame  upon  the  serpent," 
and  Adam  "laid  the  blame  upon  his  wife,  and  even  on  God 
himself."  But  did  they  not  relate  the  circumstances  as  they 
had  transpired  ?  Did  they  not  tell  the  truth,  the  whole  truth, 
and  nothing  but  the  truth  ?  Did  they  not,  with  great  simpli- 
city, frankness  and  candor,  confess  their  sin  ?  And  is  it 
not  consistent  with  the  most  enlightened  and  liberal  views 
of  human  nature,  to  interpret  that  confession  as  repentance  ? 

But    Adam    said    to    God — "The    woman    whom    thou 

gavest  to  be  with  me."  And  is  this  any  thing  more  than  a 
pleonastic  mode  of  speech,  in  which  more  words  are  used 
than  are  absolutely  necessary,  and  which  may  well  be  em- 
ployed when  a  language  could  have  but  few  words  ? 

Can  the  proof  adduced  sustain  the  charge  which  has  been 
so  confidently  tabled?  Or  does  any  thing  more  appear  on 
the  face  of  the  record,  than  a  sinful  act,  by  which  evil  was 
brought  into,  the  world ;  evil  which  they  had  begun  to  ex- 
perience in  their  own  persons,  but  which  had  not  destroyed 
the  refinement  or  delicacy  of  their  feelings  ?  An  act,  which 
was  perfectly  consistent  with  their  love  of  truth,  with  can- 
dor, with  confession,  with  repentance  ;  and  which,  in  re- 
ference to  Adam,  is  ever  recognised  in  the  scriptures  in  its 
own  insulated  character?     Jehovah    interpreted    the    case 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  151 

very  differently  from  the  popular  notion,  which  scholastic 
theology  has  so  injudiciously  and  harshly  promulgated.  He 
pitied  their  condition  ;  averred  that  they  were  now  brought 
to  know,  not  evil  alone,  but  good  and  evil,  and  that  all  their 
earthly  relations  were  entirely  changed.  So  far  from  being 
spiritually  dead,  they  were  not  even  temporally  dead  ;  nor 
does  it  appear  that  the  tree,  of  whose  fiuit  they  had  eaten, 
was  capable  of  producing  death  in  either  sense.  Nay  more. 
They  had  not  been  condemned,  their  sentence  was  not 
passed,  until  their  kind  Lord,  retreating  into  that  personal 
responsibility  which  belonged  to  their  nature,  and  availing 
himself  of  their  moral  character  as  it  was  displayed  at  the  time 
before  him,  proclaimed  the  mediatorial  constitution  ;  adapting 
it  to  circumstances  as  they  existed.  God  is  love  ; — his  gos- 
pel is,  "if  any  man  will  confess  his  sins,  God  is  faithful  and 
just  to  forgive  him  his  sins  ;"  and  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
and  luminous  proofs  of  both  is  afforded  by  these  very  trans- 
actions. 

I  have  just  remarked,  that  it  does  not  appear,  that  the  fruit 
of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil  was  the  cause 
of  death  in  any  sense.  This  intimation  may,  perhaps,  star- 
tle you,  as  contrary  to  all  your  impressions.  My  reasons 
for  the  remark  follow  : — 

1.  It  is  not  said,  that  this  tree  was  a  tree  of  death.  It  is 
said  that  in  the  day,  when  Adam  should  eat  of  its  fruit,  dy- 
ing he  should  die;  but  it  is  not  said  that  the  fruit  should  be 
the  physical  agent  by  which  death  should  be  executed.  Its 
agency  was  much  more  confined  in  its  physical  action,  and 
might  have  been  temporary.  The  terms  by  which  its  effect 
was  described  at  first  were — the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil ; 
and  those  employed  in  stating  the  fact,  after  they  had  eaten, 
weie — their  eyes  were  opened,  and  they  knew  that  they  were 
naked.     Nothing  farther  is  asserted  concerning  it. 

2.  While  the  principle  of  any  constitution  is  preserved 
entire,  any  case  which  may  occur  under  it  must  be  provided 
for;  either  by  special  statute,  or  by  the  law  of  another  con- 
stitution, to  which  such  a  case  may  more  properly  belong. 
According  to  the  paradisiacal  institute,  Adam  was  our  social 
head,  and  to  his  offence  the  introduction  of  death  is  refer- 
red. But  Eve  was  first  in  transgression.  If  Adam  had  not 
sinned — and  the  case  might  have  occurred,  then  either  the 
tree  was  not  the  physical  agent  of  executing  death  ;  or  con- 
trary to  the  principle  of  the  constitution,  death  would  not 
have  come  by  Adam's  offence  ;  or,  Eve  would  not  have  died. 


152  LECTURES  ON' 

Eve  violated  her  personal  responsibility,  and  her  sin  was 
considered  and  punished  irrespective  of  Adam's  offence. 
Or  if  the  fact,  that  her  daughters  have  shared  with  her  in 
her  penalty,  should  seem  to  make  her  sin  official  like 
Adam's,  its  official  character  must  be  altogether  secondary. 
Or  rather,  I  should  say,  that  the  fact  in  her  case  evinces, 
that  the  principle  of  social  responsibility  belongs  to  the  na- 
ture of  society.  Consequently  the  adamic  constitution  is 
not  an  arbitrary  institute,  unkindly  engrafted  on  nature,  but 
was  a  mere  regulation  of  the  political  relation  in  which 
Adam  stood  to  his  posterity  ;  and  therefore  could  only  re- 
sult in  political,  or  external,  advantages  or  disadvantages. — 
In  the  subsequent  parts  of  the  scriptural  history,  instances 
are  not  wanting,  in  which  the  peculiar  character  and  deport- 
ment of  children  are  traced  to  maternal,  as  well  as  paternal, 
influence. 

3.  If  the  fruit  of  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and 
evil  was  the  physical  agent  by  which  death  was  introduced, 
how  did  death,  so  introduced,  pass  upon  the  lower  orders 
of  creation.  Evidently  some  other  cause,  more  general  and 
more  efficient,  is  necessary  to  explain  the  extent  to  which 
death  has  been  executed. 

4.  We  have  seen,  in  a  previous  lecture,  that  Moses  could 
not  see  the  face  of  God,  on  mount  Sinai,  and  live.  No 
such  difficulty  is  even  hinted  at  in  Adam's  case.  He  seems 
to  have  been  capable  of  the  most  perfect  familiarity,  and  of 
the  most  free  intercourse.  Moses  was  under  the  sentence 
as  passed,  and  the  force  of  the  physical  agency  by  which  the 
sentence  was  executed.  Adam  was  not  yet  under  that  sen- 
tence, nor  had  he  felt  the  power  of  the  deleterious  agent, 
which  was  pointed  out  to  him  afterwards. 

5.  Death  is  appointed  unto  all  men. — "I  create  peace,  and 
I  create  evil"  saith  the  Lord.  The  execution  of  the  pen- 
alty was  not  put  out  of  his  own  hands,  but  is  left  as  a  mat- 
ter of  his  own  just  administration. 

Then  it  may  be  asked  what  was  the  precise  use  of  the  tree 
of  knowledge  of  good  and  evil?  To  which  I  answer,  that 
its  use  is  disclosed  by  the  transactions  themselves.  Its  ef- 
fect on  the  animal  constitution  of  our  first  parents  was  the 
proof  of  their  guilt.  There  was  no  equivocation  possible  in 
the  case. 

But  can  it  be  supposed,  it  may  further  be  asked,  that,  un- 
der such  circumstances,  Adam  would  have  dared  to  equivo- 
cate ?     To  which  again  I  answer,  that  while  others  have  re- 


Moral  government.  153 

presented  him  as  dead  in  sin,  and  wholly  denied,  they  can 
hardly  censure  a  conjecture,  which  supposes  merely  that  a 
sinner  would  hide  his  transgression  if  he  could.     Nor  can 
they  justly  condemn  an  interpretation,  which  is  founded  on 
a  common  judicial  principle,  that  every  man  is  to  be  held 
innocent,  until  he  is  proved  to  be  guilty.     In  their  lofty  spe- 
culations on  the  abstract  perfections  of  godhead,  they  may 
indeed  scout  such  a  simple  idea.     But  then  they  would  for- 
get such  facts  as  the  following. — When  the  cry  of  Sodom's 
iniquities  came  up  before  the  Lord,  he  descended  to  inquire 
after  the  proof  \n  the  case.     When  Cain  replied  to  the  Lord, 
— am  I  my  brother's  keeper? — the  Lord  answered,  thy  bro- 
ther's blood  crieth  to  me  from  the  ground. — When  Saul  pre- 
tended that  he  had  fulfilled  the  commandment  of  the  Lord, 
and  made  his  strong  asseveration  before  the  divine  prophet, 
Samuel  asked  him,  "what  then  meaneth  the  bleating  of  the 
sheep   in  mine  ears,  and  the  lowing  of  the  oxen  which  I 
hear?" — When  Abraham  took  the  knife  to  slay  his  son,  the 
angel  of  the  Lord  said  unto  him, — "Lay  not  thine  hand  up- 
on the  lad,  neither  do  thou  any  thing  unto  him:  for  now  I 
know  that  thou  fearest  God,  seeing  thou  hast  not  withheld 
thy  son,  thine  only  son,  from  me."*     On  the  day  of  judg- 
ment, the  wicked  are  represented  as  pleading  their  cause 
thus — "When  saw  we  thee  an  hungered,  and  did  not  feed 
thee?"     The  answer  returned  is — "inasmuch  as   ye  did  it 
not  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  did  it  not 
to  me." — The  objector  to  our  interpretation  would  forget, — 
that  we  must  appear  before  a  judge;  that  the  judge  is  the 
son  of  man;   that  every  one  must  give  account  of  himself 
in  the  day  of  judgment,  when  he  shall  be  either  justified  or 
condemned  by  his  words.     Judgment,  like  every  thing  else, 
is  not  the  mere  sovereign  act  of  a  supreme  Lord,  acting  in- 
dependently of  the  feelings  or  views  of  the  intelligent  crea- 
tures he  has  made  ;  but  every  eye  shall  see,  and  every  ear 
hear,  and  every  tongue  confess,  that  the  judge  of  all  the  earth 
doth  right. 

And  now  we  may  distinctly  perceive,  if  the  foregoing  view 
of  the  judicial  object  of  the  tree  of  knowledge  of  good  and 
evil  be  correct,  then  there  was  no  use  for  any  particular  tree 
of  life,  to  serve  an  analogous  purpose.  Of  course  then,  there 
was  no  particular  tree  of  life,  for  God  makes  nothing  in 
vain. 

"Gen.  xxii.  12. 


154  LECTURES  ON 

But  if  the  tree  of  knowledge  of  good  and  evil  was  not  the 
physical  agent  by  which  death  was  introduced,  by  what 
means  was  the  sentence  executed  ?  This  question  too  is 
fairly  and  fully  answered  by  Moses.  For  he  tells  us,  that 
the  Lord  God  cursed  the  ground  ;  and  that  he  did  this  for 
Adam's  sake  ;  or  because  that  he  had  violated  the  statute 
which  had  been  given  to  him.  An  analogous  fact  occurs  in 
the  history  of  the  flood,  producing  still  farther  temporal  ca- 
lamities. Any  medical  philosopher,  even  though  he  has 
made  but  slender  attainments  in  his  science,  will  under- 
write this  scriptural  explanation.  You  may  be  fully  satisfied 
on  the  subject  by  very  little  inquiry  or  observation. 

This  physical  agency  will  not  only  explain  the  cause  of 
death,  but  it  will,  at  the  same  time,  account  for  its  universal- 
ity, and  will  demonstrate  the  interest  which  all  mankind  had 
in  Adam's  official  character.  But  it  cannot  prove  that 
Adam,  or  any  of  his  posterity,  did  become,  by  his  one  of- 
fence, dead  in  sin,  and  wholly  defiled  in  all  the  facul- 
ties and  parts  of  both  soul  and  body.  How  could  any 
noxious  miasm,  or  poisonous  vapor,  thus  exhaled,  morally 
pollute  the  mind  ?  Nay  more — how  could  spiritual  death  be 
instantaneously  spread  out  over  the  powers  of  the  intellec- 
tual spirit,  by  an  act  whose  penalty  was  so  slowly  executed, 
that  the  powers  of  the  body  itself,  were  brought  only  into  a 
dying  condition  ?  And  farther  still — how  could  death  tem- 
poral, spiritual  and  eternal,  be  implied  in  the  sentence  origi- 
nally pronounced,  when  the  only  apparent  physical  agent, 
by  which  the  sentence  could  be  executed,  did  not  produce 
death  at  all  ?  Or  is  it  not  evident  that  the  original  sentence, 
instead,  as  has  been  asserted,  of  going  beyond  the  sentence 
which  was  actually  executed,  fell  far  short  of  it  ?  For,  if  the 
tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil  was  the  physical 
agent  by  which  the  original  sentence  would  have  been  ex- 
ecuted, then  death  could  not  go  beyond  Adam's  own  race. 
Whereas,  when  the  ground  is  desecrated,  and  becomes  the 
physical  agent,  the  whole  material  system  is  immediately  in- 
volved in  its  destructive  influence. — How  much  theologians 
have  taken  for  granted  !  Well  might  a  candid  reformer, 
charge  his  successors  to  recollect,  that  Calvin  and  his  noble 
companions  had  not  discovered  all  that  is  in  the  bible. 

This  matter,  however,  cannot  be  dismissed  yet.  For, 
admitting  the  correctness  of  the  preceding  argument, 
and  supposing  that  the  death  of  the  body,  with  the  various 
temporal  calamities  that  attend   it,  constituted  the  penalty 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  165 

of  the  broken  law;  even  then,  would  not  death  be  eternal, 
seeing  that  the  doctrine  of  a  resurrection  belongs  to  the 
mediatorial  system  ?— Still  all  my  labor  would  appear 
to  be  in  vain. — Perhaps  not.  The  objection  may  be  more 
specious  than  solid.     Let  us  try. 

1.  If  Adam  had  not  broken  the  law,  but  had  secured  its 
reward  for  himself  and  his  posterity,  they  should  not, 
according  to  the  general  principles  which  Paul  advances  in 
his  argument  on  the  resurrection,  have  remained  here  for- 
ever. As  there  is  a  natural  body  and  a  spiritual  body,  they 
should  have  been  changed.  How  would  this  change  have 
been  accomplished  ?  Unquestionably  by  the  power  of  God. 
As  manifestly  death  itself,  comes,  not  as  the  simple  ef- 
fect of  any  physical  agency,  but  as  a  matter  of  divine  admin- 
istration ;  it  is  not  then  to  be  viewed  as  a  mere  physical  ne* 
cessity,  but  as  a  decision  of  the  divine  judge.  Man  at  first 
was  made  no  more  than  "a  living  soul,"  and  could  have  no 
power  to  change  himself.  His  inability  to  raise  himself 
from  the  dead,  would  no  more  argue  the  eternity  of 
death,  than  his  inability  to  change  himself  from  a  natu- 
ral into  a  spiritual  body,  would  argue  the  eternity  of  his  ex- 
istence in  this  world. — The  resurrection  therefore  involves 
more  questions  than  the  mere  issues  of  law  may  present. 

To  illustrate  my  meaning  by  an  analogy.  If  you  have  en- 
trusted your  funds  to  an  agent,  and  he  has  squandered  them 
away ;  assuredly  the  next  question  which  arises  is,  whether 
you  are  able  to  meet  your  personal  obligations  ? — In  the 
case  before  us,  we  have  the  two  systems  of  social  and  per- 
sonal responsibility.  Under  the  first,  death  has  been  intro- 
duced. Then  the  question  is,  whether,  under  the  second, 
a  man  can  recover  himself?  If  he  can,  there  is  nothing  in 
the  sentence  of  the  law  to  prevent  him.  But  he  cannot  raise 
himself  from  the  dead,  because  in  his  own  nature  he  is 
nothing  more  than  a  living  soul. 

Call  back  the  analogy.  If  you  are  unable  to  meet  your 
personal  engagements,  when  your  agent  has  wasted  your 
means,  as  your  personal  character  has  not  been  lost, 
another  question  arises: — what  will, — what  ought,  your 
creditor  to  do  ?  Your  personal  character  is  the  very  thing 
which  will  attract  his  attention,  and  in  view  of  which,  he 
will  determine  his  course. — So  in  the  case  before  us.  Adam 
had  committed  one  offence,  but  still  his  personal  character 
invited  confidence  ;  and  the  personal  character  of  his  chil- 
dren is,  by  his  sin,  unhurt.     What  then  will  God  do?     Ac- 


156  LECTURES  ON 

cording  to  the  nature  of  the  creature  he  has  made,  accord- 
ing to  tlie  system  of  personal  responsiblity  which  he  estab- 
lished, and  at  the  very  point  where  an  exertion  of  his  own 
power  would  be  indispensable,  even  if  sin  had  not  been 
committed,  what  may  we  look  to  him  to  do? — Is  it  contrary 
to  philosophy  or  scripture,  that  when  onesystem  is  exhaust- 
ed, we  may  draw  on  the  resources  of  another?  When  state 
objects,  so  to  speak,  or  political  purposes,  or  the  general 
interests  of  social  life,  are  preserved,  is  the  divine  govern- 
ment so  defective  as  to  leave  individual  integrity  unconsider- 
ed? Would  an  administration,  so  narrow  and  improvident, 
be  either  wise  or  good  ?  Did  not  Jehovah  pardon  David's 
sin,  while  yet  for  public  reasons,  or  because  he  had  given 
occasion  to  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  to  blaspheme,  the  crime 
itself  was  formally  punished?  Or  must  all  such  considera- 
tions be  thrown  aside  as  fugitive  and  irrelevant,  and  system 
be  jumbled  up  with  system,  merely  to  give  way  to  the  anti- 
quated conjectures  of  a  speculative  theology,  whose  distem- 
pered fancies  are  more  sacred,  than  its  arguments  are  con- 
clusive ? 

2.  Not  only  have  we  two  systems,  whose  respective  inte- 
rests must  be  considered,  but  the  actual  circumstances,  as 
they  are  stated,  were  arranged  to  meet  those  interests. 
There  is  nothing,  in  the  whole  paradisiacal  law,  to  prevent 
the  full  development  of  personal  responsibility,  not  even  in 
view  of  transgression.  The  tree,  placed  in  the  midst  of 
the  garden,  by  its  own  terms,  contemplated  a  state  of  things, 
in  which  good  and  evil  should  be  intermingled.  It  was  not 
all  evil— all  death,  that  was  to  be  introduced.  All  that 
was  good  was  not  to  be  destroyed.  Evil  should  come,  but 
that  which  was  good  might  remain  with  it.  The  extent  of 
the  threatened  evil  must  be  interpreted  by  the  fact.  The 
death  threatened  was  not  perdition,  instantaneous  and  entire. 
The  penalty  was  expressed  in  very  different  language. 
Dying,  thou  shall  die,  said  the  creator;  thus  intimating  a 
prolonged  state  of  being,  though  suffering  under  a  mortal 
infirmity.  The  fruit  of  the  tree  was  not  the  physical  agent 
in  executing  the  penalty  ;  but  the  ground,  which  would  be 
gradual  in  its  operation.  Though  Adam  forfeited  the  privi- 
leges of  the  garden,  yet  he  might  be  returned  to  the  spot 
whence  he  was  taken.  The  very  nature  of  the  animal  sys- 
tem, in  that  it  might  become  mortal  and  corruptible,  while 
the  existence  of  the  spirit  is  eternal,  together  with  the  limit- 
ed effect  produced  on  the  moral  nature  of  our  first  parents. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  157 

All  these  things  abundantly  evince  the  political  character, 
and  consequently  the  external  influence,  of  the  adamic  in- 
stitute. No  case  can  be  more  clear.  Every  view  which  it 
presents  looks  to  a  remedial  agency  as  both  natural  and 
just;  both  wise  and  good.  And  when  the  remedial  expe- 
dient is  so  visibily  exhibited,  at  every  point  and  on  every 
turn,  it  would  be  very  strange,  if  the  dogma,  unrelentingly 
wrapping  up  every  thing  in  the  gloom  of  eternal  death, 
should  still  be  obstinately  defended. 

We  must  now  look  at  the  effects  of  the  fall,  as 
they  were  visited  upon  all  men.  That  all  men  were  in- 
volved in  Adam's  official  proceedings,  must  be  evident, 
from  the  nature  of  the  case,  as  well  as  from  the  character  of 
the  physical  agent  employed.  The  deleterious  influence 
which  the  ground,  as  having  been  cursed,  exhales,  is  uni- 
versal. There  is  no  escaping  from  it.  How  men  can  dis- 
pute the  fact,  I  do  not  see.  But  that  they  should  quarrel 
with  the  philosophy  of  the  fact,  as  it  has  been  taught,  is  no 
matter  of  wonder.  Our  nature  instinctively  revolts  from 
any  political  doctrines,  which  impute  a  vindictive  character 
to  the  Eternal,  or  build  up  despotic  institutions  on  earth. 
The  Spirit  of  God  affords  no  such  instructions  to  the  human 
mind.  And  the  moral  philosopher,  in  attempting  to  esta- 
blish such  notions,  fails  in  his  argument  from  a  deficiency 
of  testimony,  and  runs  counter  to  nature.  Take  away  the 
bayonet  and  the  sword,  the  gibbet  and  the  stake,  the  star- 
ehamber  and  the  inquisition,  and  human  beings  naturally 
revert  to  original  principles.  Hence  the  controversies  of 
the  present  age.  Church  courts  will  fail  in  their  conflicts 
with  nature. 

Death  has  come  upon  all  men.  The  body,  as  the  scrip- 
tures describe  it,  has  become — this  mortal,  this  corruptible. 
A  weakness  of  the  flesh  has  supervened.  Man  is  not  able  to 
do,  what  he  could  do,  if  his  animal  nature  did  not  labor 
under  this  mortal  infirmity.  Hence  then  he  is  unable  to 
obey  law,  which  was  the  rule  of  his  being  in  its  original 
vigor.  Accordingly  the  Son  of  God  is  sent  in  the  like- 
ness of  sinful  flesh,  to  do  that  which  the  law  could  not  do, 
in  that  it  was  weak,  through  the  flesh.  Or,  in  other  words, 
the  gospel  is  framed  to  meet  this  very  weakness,  under 
which  our  corruptible  bodies  suffer  and  groan.  Hear  Paul. 
11  In  me,  i.  e.  in  my  flesh,  dwelleth  no  good  thing.  I  keep 
my  body  under,  lest,  after  having  preached  the  gospel  to 
others,  I  should  be  a  cast-a-way  myself.  There  is  a  law  in 
14 


158 


LECTURES  ON 


my  members,  warring  against  the  law  of  my  mind.  The  flesh 
lusteth  against  the  spirit,  and  the  spirit  against  the  flesh: 
and  these  are  contrary  the  one  to  the  other."  Hear  the  re- 
deemer:— "The  spirit  truly  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is 
weak." 

We  have  already  seen,  that  the  body,  and  its  external 
senses,  constitute  the  means  by  which  the  spirit  acquires  its 
ideas,  and  the  instruments  by  which  it  acts.  Injure  the 
body,  or  weaken  the  external  senses,  and  the  range 
of  the  spirit's  ideas,  as  well  as  the  sphere  of  its  action, 
necessarily  becomes  limited.  Under  such  circumstances, 
we  cannot  do,  even  what  we  would  do.  The  power  to  will 
may  exist,  where  the  power  to  perform  is  not  possessed. 
A  multitude  of  objects  are  now  spread  out  before  me.  I 
see  them  all.  Let  me  be  deprived  of  my  animal  organs  of 
vision,  and  I  can  see  them  no  more;  but  my  intellectual 
power,  considered  as  an  attribute  of  spirit,  is  not  diminished. 
Restore  by  medical  means  my  animal  organs,  and  I  see 
again ;  but  a  surgical  operation  has  not  restored  a  lost  in- 
tellectual attribute.  While  blind,  I  would  see,  if  I  had  the 
bodily  power.  When  my  body  dies,  my  spirit  still  lives. 
So  when  Adam  brought  death  into  the  world,  the  body 
alone  became  corruptible  in  consequence  of  his  sin.  Be- 
yond this  every  thing  is  personal.  I  would  have  seen  better, 
and  would  have  acted  more  powerfully,  if  my  body  had 
been  unimpaired  in  its  various  faculties;  but  still  I  see  and 
act  according  to  the  bodily  power  left,  and  for  that  I  am 
personally  responsible.  Deny  this  view,  and  there  is  no 
escape  from  sheer  materialism. 

There  is  no  subject  which  theologians  have  tortured  into 
more  shapes,  or  have  penciled  out  under  a  greater  variety 
of  profile,  than  that  of  human  ability  and  inability.  It  is 
really  mournful  to  observe,  how  deeply  and  awfully  myste- 
rious they  have  made  a  very  plain  point.  Certainly  it  is  a 
very  simple  thing,  that  in  consequence  of  Adam's  sin  super- 
inducing a  weakness  of  the  flesh,  men  cannot  obey  law; 
and  it  is'just  as  simple  that  they  can  obey  gospel,  which  is 
intended  to  meet  and  help  their  infirmities.  The  whole 
doctrine  of  the  scriptures  is,  that  man  cannot  be  saved  with- 
out a  mediator,  but  that  he  can  be  saved  with  one.  And  it 
is  certainly  very  evident  that,  neither  under  law  nor  gospel, 
neither  before  nor  since  the  fall,  can  man  be  viewed  as  in- 
dependent of  the  providence  of  God,  or  as  living  in  the  mo- 
ral and  intellectual  world,  any  more  than  he  does  in  the  phy- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  159 

sical  world,  without  the  co-operating  agency  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.     What  can  be  more  simple? 

It  is  true  that  this  matter  has  been  argued  in  the  scrip- 
tures : — but  why  ?  The  two  systems, — law  and  gospel — 
belong  to  the  history  of  man.  Under  the  one,  evil  has 
been  introduced  ;  under  the  other,  a  remedy  has  been  pro- 
posed. They  are  therefore  the  legitimate  subjects  of  human 
thought.  Accordingly,  in  all  ages,  mankind  have  been 
reasoning  on  their  respective  claims.  Nay,  so  far  have 
they  carried  their  controversial  expositions,  and  so  great 
have  been  the  mistakes  into  which  they  have  reasoned  them- 
selves, that  Jehovah  found  it  necessary  to  represent  the  in- 
efficiency of  the  one,  and  the  remedial  agency  of  the  other, 
under  two  distinct  dispensations — the  mosaic  and  the  chris- 
tian. The  argument  which  serves  to  elucidate  the  original 
subjects,  involves,  of  course,  the  two  dispensations;  and 
the  argument  intended  to  explain  the  two  dispensations,  in- 
volves the  original  subjects.  The  jews,  mistook  the  nature 
of  their  external  position,  and  of  the  purpose  of  election  by 
which  they  occupied  that  position.  Necessarily  they  stum- 
bled on  a  great  deal  of  metaphysical  speculation  about  hu- 
man ability  and  inability.  Paul  had  to  meet  and  refute 
their  errors.  Since  their  days,  christians  have  mistaken 
their  external  position,  and  the  purpose  of  election,  by  which 
they  have  been  so  peculiarly  distinguished.  They  have,  in 
fact,  revived  the  judaic  notions,  and  are  consequently  in- 
volved in  all  the  metaphysical  subtleties  of  the  age  in  which 
Paul  wrote.     But  more  of  this  hereafter. 

You  perceive,  that  I  have  not  denied  the  fact  of  mankind 
deriving  a  corrupted  nature  from  Adam.  But  then,  that  cor- 
rupt nature  consists  in  this — that  man  has  a  mortal  and  cor- 
ruptible body.  As  then  he  originally  acquired  his  ideas 
by  means  of  his  external  senses,  so  he  acquires  his  ideas 
now.  Those  senses  have  become  impaired,  but  the  intel- 
lectual power  is  not  in  itself  injured,  or  corrupt.  It  can 
have  no  ideas  farther  than  it  has  the  external  means  of  ac- 
quiring them.  But  so  far  as  those  means  go,  it  not  only 
can,  but  does,  acquire  them.  It  is  here,  where  personal  respon- 
sibility, from  the  very  nature  of  the  case,  arises;  where  abili- 
ty must  be  supposed;  and  beyond  which,  in  reference  to 
our  personal  nature,  the  influence  of  Adam's  sin  does  not, 
and  cannot  go.  There  is  indeed  an  indispensable  neces- 
sity that  a  mediator  should  be  provided;  and  that  his  insti- 
tutions should  correspond  with  the  measure  of  our  ability, 


160  LECTURES  ON 

as  the  law  corresponded  with  the  original  ability  of  Adam. 
But  that  mediator  being  provided,  and  his  institutions 
being  established,  we  become  personally  accountable, 
and  perish  by  our  own  fault,  if  we  perish  at  all.  Hence 
the  scriptures  write  so  freely  of  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  and  in- 
form us,  that  whenever  a  man  commits  sin,  he  is  drawn 
away  of  his  own  lust,  and  is  enticed:  while  they  also  de- 
scribe the  gentiles  as  doing  by  nature  the  things  contained 
in  the  law,  and  showing  the  work  of  the  law,  written  on  their 
heart. 

Man  having  this  corrupt  nature,  i.  e.  a  corruptible  and 
mortal  body, — carrying  about  him  "this  body  of  sin  and  of 
death," — having  u  a  law  in  his  members  warring  against  the 
law  of  his  mind," — goes  out  into  the  world  to  associate 
with  beings  of  his  own  kind,  and  corrupted  like  himself. 
At  the  same  time,  the  whole  material  system  is,  to  him, 
like  his  own  constitution,  an  intermixture  of  good  and  evil; 
interesting  all  his  sympathies,  and  forming  the  resources  on 
which  he  draws,  in  seeking  the  supply  of  his  wants  and  the 
gratification  of  his  desires.  Thus  constituted  and  thus  cir- 
cumstanced, in  consequence  of  sin  committed  by  his  social 
head,  having  no  innate  ideas,  either  good  or  bad, — acquiring 
all  his  ideas  by  his  external  senses  and  through  the  medium 
of  external  objects, — and  yet  living  and  acting  under  per- 
sonal responsibilities,  with  which  his  everlasting  destiny  is 
connected;  he  appears  in  the  midst  of  a  troubled  scene  of 
action,  to  fulfil  the  duties,  and  meet  the  trials,  that  await 
him.     Let  us  follow  his  course. 

As  a  new  born  babe,  "  born  to  trouble  as  the  sparks  fly 
upwards  " — he  suffers  and  complains.  In  his  early  life, 
and  while  mind  as  yet  unfurnished  with  intelligence,  by  which 
he  can  discriminate  between  good  and  evil,  he  betrays  the 
propensities  of  his  corrupt  animal  nature: — propensities 
which  seem  to  characterise  the  lower  orders  of  creatures 
themselves,  who  have  not  been  endowed  with  intellectual 
and  immortal  spirits.  These  propensities,  varying  in  char- 
acter and  degree,  as  widely  as  the  animal  temperament  can 
be  diversified,  the  excitement  he  feels,  and  the  restraints  un- 
der which  he  acts,  are  derived  from  the  external  circum- 
stances in  which  he  is  placed. 

I  am  aware  that  the  case  of  children  is  often  very  differently 
represented.  They  are  supposed  to  betray,  in  all  their  ap- 
parent aberrations,  an  intellectual  depravity,  or  a  state  of  spir- 
itual death,  as  the  direct,  the  necessary,  and  the  invariable 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  161 

consequence  of  Adam's  transgression.  The  scriptures  ap- 
pear to  give  a  very  different  account  of  this  interesting  mat- 
ter. Take  the  following  passages. — "Your  little  ones, 
which  ye  said  should  be  a  prey,  and  your  children,  which  in  that 
day  had  no  knowledge  between  good  and  evil."*  "Before  the 
child  shall  know  to  refuse  the  evil,  and  choose  the  good."t 
"  Brethren  be  not  children  in  understanding  ;  howbeit  in  ma- 
licebeye  children,  but  in  understanding  be  men."t  "  Should 
not  I  spare  Nineveh,  that  great  city,  wherein  are  more  than  six 
score  thousand  persons  that  cannot  discern  between  their  right 
hand  and  their  left  hand;  and  also  much  cattle  ?"§  "  The 
unbelieving  husband  is  sanctified  by  the  wife,  and  the  unbe- 
lieving wife  is  sanctified  by  the  husband  ;  else  were  your  chil- 
dren unclean;  but  now  are  they  holy."\\  "Verily  I  say  unto 
you,  except  ye  be  converted,  and  become  as  little  children,  ye 
shall  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven."^!  "Suffer  lit- 
tle children,  and  forbid  them  not,  to  come  unto  me,  for  of 
such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  And  he  laid  his  hands  on 
them,  and  departed  thence. "**  "  The  promise  is  to  you, 
and  to  your  children. "ft  "  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  thou  shaltbe  saved,  and  thy  house."tt  These,  and  such 
like  passages  of  the  scriptures,  evince  children  to  be  the 
peculiar  objects  of  the  divine  affection  and  care  :  as  present- 
ing the  best  view  of  moral  character,  when  a  simile  is  sought 
for  in  illustration  of  conversion,  or  when  intellectual  life  is,  as 
it  were,  to  be  commenced  anew  ;  and  as  belonging  to  that 
number,  over  whom  the  mediatorial  administration  is  pecu- 
liarly extended. 

But  to  resume  the  account  of  a  human  being,  as  he  is  pas- 
sing through  the  world. — He  is  first  committed  to  parental 
care.  And  surely  no  one  can  be  so  dull  an  observer,  as  not 
to  have  perceived  the  innumerable  deficiencies  of  domestic 
life : — the  collisions  of  feeling ; — the  contrarieties  of  opinion  ; 
the  opposite  habits  of  discipline  ; — a  course  of  government, 
which,  either  by  its  severity  palsies  the  mora?  sense  and 
crushes  all  independence,  or  by  its  excessive  mildness  and 
imprudent  indulgence  nurtures  the  passions,  and  leaves  the 
mind  dormant; — a  premature  attempt  to  call  out  intellect, 
while  the  feelings  are  untutored  ;— the  disregard  of  moral 
influence,  inducing  a   constant  appeal  to  corporal  chastise- 

*  Deut.  i.  39.  IT  Malt,  xviii.  2—5. 

t  Is-  vii-    16.  **Matt.  xix.   14,  15. 

|1  Cor.  xiv.  20.  ft  Acts  ii.  39. 

§  Jonah  iv.   11.  tjActs  xvi.  31. 

jj  1  Cor.  vii.   14. 
14* 


162  LECTURES  ON 

merit; — false  systems  of  religious  education,  which  substi- 
tute the  abstract  propositions  of  an  antiquated  catechism, 
for  the  spiritual  exercises  of  the  parental  mind,  and  the  co- 
operating agency  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  presiding'over  the  so- 
cial action  of  heart  upon  heart ; — the  unphilosophical  at- 
tempt to  engraft  upon  the  infantile  spirit,  the  notions  of 
other  men,  which  parents  themselves  do  not  understand  ; — 
the  great  solicitude  to  appear  fair  and  stand  well  with  the 
particular  class  of  society  to  which  a  family  may  belong  ; — the 
endless  calculations  which  terminate  on  business  or  plea- 
sure, on  wealth  or  honor,  on  fashion  or  amusement,  while 
conscience  is  coerced  into  silence,  or  is  modified  according 
to  the  standard  of  morality  which  that  class  of  society  may 
have  adopted  ; — what,  I  pray  you,  can  be  expected  from  such 
a  tissue  of  parental  delinquencies,  but  the  general  depravity 
of  morals  we  are  called  upon  to  explain  ? 

It  must  also  be  apparent  to  every  observer  of  human  life, 
that  all  children  do  not  grow  up  to  indulge  the  same  vices, 
or  to  commit  sin  in  the  very  same  form.  The  children  of 
the  heathen,  exhibit,  under  parental  tuition,  a  very  different 
set  of  habits,  from  those  which  characterise  the  children  of 
the  jews  ;  while  the  children  of  christians  vary  from  both. 
in  the  very  same  community,  one  family  will  grow  up  entirely 
dissimilar  to  another  family.  The  artificial  distinctions  of 
society  ;  the  form  of  political  government;  the  despotism  to 
which  men  may  pusillanimously  submit,  or  the  liberal  and 
independent  principles  they  may  enthusiastically  maintain  *, 
the  ecclesiastical  parties  which  may  grow  out  of  a  period  of 
excitement,  and  whose  dogmas  may  and  will  be  transmitted 
by  a  religious  entail,  until  that  excitement  is  worn  out ;  these 
and  such  like  varieties  of  social  life,  are  carefully  and  sacred- 
ly regarded  by  parents  in  training  their  children,  giving  form 
to  their  manners,  tone  to  their  feelings,  and  vigor  to  their 
prejudices.  All  this  will  occur  too  with  as  much  uniformity 
as  can  possibly  be  asserted  in  an  argument  which  traces  up 
the  general  depravity  to  a  corrupt  spiritual  nature,  derived 
from  Adam.  How  many  hundreds  and  thousands,  in  our 
own  day  and  country,  are  episcopalians,  or  presbyterians,  or 
baptists,  or  methodists,  or  friends,  or  unitarians,  or  infidels, 
merely  because  their  fathers  were  such  before  them  ?  How 
many  sects,  and  congregations,  are  sustained  in  this  very  way  ? 
How  adventurous,  how  preposterous,  how  heretical,  it  is 
conceived  to  be,  for  any  man  to  break  away  from  the  do- 
minion of  this  social  law.     He  has  lost  his  cast  in  christen- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  163 

dom,  as  certainly  as  though  he  had  lived  in  Hindostan; 
and  his  compeers  seem  to  think  that  they  owe  him  no  chris- 
tian reciprocities,  but  may  sport  with  his  feelings,  cripple 
his  influence,,  ruin  his  reputation,  warn  their  friends  against 
a  pernicious  contagion,  and  condemn  him  both  for  time  and 
eternity.  I  know  that  it  is  a  very  popular  doctrine  that 
every  man  should  think  for  himself,  and  a  very  popular  boast 
that  in  our  beloved  country  any  man  may  do  so.  But  then  let 
the  pigmy  adventurer  take  the  public  at  their  word,  and 
begin  to  dispute  the  infallibility  of  the  fathers  ;  and  even 
they  who  would  rejoice  in  his  success,  stand  aloof  from  the 
enterprise,  in  which,  for  conscience  sake,  and  it  may  be  for 
the  public's  sake,  he  risks,  so  to  speak,  his  all.  And  yet  multi- 
tudes affect  to  wonder  at  human  depravity,  when  parents 
bring  up  their  children  under  such  fearful  auspices,  and  thus 
often  reduce  the  finest  intellect  to  spiritual  death.  I  mourn 
over  the  melancholy  scene. 

But  if  the  parental  course  should  have  been  elevated  above 
these  sectarian  movements,  and  this  hereditary  imbecility, 
yet  how  quickly  the  youthful  mind  becomes  vitiated  by  its 
early  associations.  A  thousand  adventitious  circumstances 
attend  on  the  gradual  development  of  juvenile  character.  The 
young  begin  to  calculate  on  their  own  individuality,  the 
strength  of  their  own  opinions,  and  the  rationality  of  their 
own  choice  ;  and  a  new  scene  is  opened,  which,  in  its  inci- 
piency,  gives  a  fair  prognostic  of  its  riper  pretensions.  Under 
the  force  of  early  predilections,  long  vibrating,  it  may  be, 
amidst  doubts  and  fears,  but  at  length  settled  on  objects  en- 
tirely sublunary,  if  not  entirely  sensual;  the  rising  genera- 
tion become  capable  of  abusing  their  personal  respon- 
sibilities, and  listlessly  sink  into  the  same  routine,  in  which 
their  fathers  descended  to  the  grave.  Referring  them  to 
the  church,  in  hopes  of  inducing  other  and  better  resolves, 
they  found  themselves  met  by  mysteries,  become  sacred  by 
age,  and  which  left  their  inquisitive  minds  baffled  at  every 
step ;  while  sectarian  prejudices,  ministerial  conflicts,  and 
ecclesiastical  despotism,  forbad  any  investigation  into  mat- 
ters they  did  not  understand  ; — and  thus  embarrassed  and 
perplexed,  they  abandoned  the  hopes  in  which  their  fathers 
gloried.  The  multitude  stand  startled  at  the  general  de- 
pravity, and  can  discern  no  explanation,  excepting  that 
Adam's  sin  brought  all  mankind  into  temporal,  spiritual  and 
eternal  death,  by  defiling  all  the  parts  and  faculties  of  both 


164  LECTURES  ON 

soul  and  body.     You  may  go   into  the  pagan  world,  and 
changing  terms,  you  meet  the  same  result. 

A  modern  writer  has  well  expressed  my  ideas,  in  the  fol- 
lowing paragraph  : — "The  thread  of  every  life  is  entangled 
with  other  threads,  beyond  all  reach  of  calculation.  The 
weal  and  woe  of  each  depend,  by  innumerable  correspon- 
dences, upon  the  will,  and  caprices,  and  fortunes,  not  mere- 
ly of  the  individuals  of  his  immediate  circle,  but  upon  those 
of  myriads  of  whom  he  knows  nothing.  Or,  strictly  speak- 
ing, the  tie  of  mutual  influence  passes  without  a  break,  from 
hand  to  hand,  throughout  the  human  family  :  there  is  no  in- 
dependence, no  insulation,  in  the  lot  of  man;  and,  there- 
fore, there  can  be  no  absolute  calculation  of  future  fortunes  ; 
for  he,  whose  will  or  caprice  is  to  govern  the  lot,  stands, 
perhaps,  at  the  distance  of  a  thousand  removes  from  the 
subject  of  it;  and  the  alternated  influence  winds  its  way,  in 
ten  thousand  meanders,  before  it  reaches  the  point  of  its 
destination."*  In  such  a  state  of  things,  who  does  not  wish 
to  see  those  overturnings,  by  which  our  mediatorial  prince 
shall  revolutionise  the  human  family,  and  construct  our  so- 
cial operations  on  new  and  better  principles  ?  The  promise 
of  the  millennium  is,  or  ought  to  be,  as  great  a  relief  to  the 
mere  philanthrophist,  as  it  can  be  to  the  most  refined  mor- 
alist; — who,  fascinated  by  the  beauty  and  brilliancy  of  the 
promised  re-organization,  is  wistfully  watching  for  the  mas- 
ter's coming,  amid  the  distractions  which  now  threaten  to 
drive  our  ecclesiastical  principalities  into  delirious  and  blast- 
ing misrule. 

I  may  be  asked  whether  any  thing  better  can  be  expected 
in  this  dying  world?  To  this  I  would  briefly  answer,  that  if 
you  reverse  the  causes,  you  may  reverse  the  effects  ;  that 
the  scriptures  have  said, — "Train  up  a  child  in  the  way  in 
which  he  should  go,  and  when  he  is  old,  he  will  not  depart 
therefrom  ;"  that  if  the  iniquities  of  the  fathers  are  visited 
upon  the  children,  the  mercy  of  the  Lord  is  extended  un- 
to children's  children  ;  and  that  we  have  a  promised  scene 
of  millenary  righteousness  and  blessedness,  in  the  descrip- 
tion of  whose  peculiar  mercies,  the  taking  away  a  corrupt 
spiritual  nature,  as  having  been  derived  from  Adam,  is  no 
where  even  hinted  at. 

But  finally  it  results  from  Adam's  sin,  that  satan  has  ac- 
quired power  in  this  world,  and  that  we  are  all  exposed  to 
his  temptations.     "We  wrestle,"  says  Paul,  "not  against 

•Nat.  His.  of  Euthusiam,  p.  138. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  165 

flesh  and  blood,  but  against  principalities,  against  powers, 
against  the  rulers  of  the  darkness  of  this  world,  against  spi- 
ritual wickedness,  in  high  places." — "If  our  gospel  be  hid, 
it  is  hid  to  them  that  are  lost;  in  whom,  the  god  of  this 
world  hath  blinded  the  minds  of  them  that  believe  not,  lest 
the  light  of  the  glorious  gospel  of  Christ,  who  is  the  image 
of  God,  should  shine  unto  them." — "Be  sober,  be  vigilant," 
says  Peter,  "because  your  adversary,  the  devil,  as  a  roaring 
lion,  walketh  about,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour."  To 
many  a  timid  christian,  nothing  is  more  appalling  than  this 
very  view  of  his  earthly  course.  How  many  have  fallen  un- 
der the  prowess  and  malignity  of  this  mighty  apollyon  ! 
And  how  often  do  multitudes  ascribe  their  sins  to  his  artifi- 
ces, and  make  a  natural  imbecility  of  their  moral  nature, 
derived  from  Adam,  their  apology  ;  rather  than  confess  their 
heedlessness,  and  their  unbelief;  and  rather  than  equip  them- 
selves for  the  conflict,  or  put  on  the  panoply  which  the  great 
captain  of  their  salvation  has  provided. 

To  these  three  causes, — the  flesh,  the  w^orld,  and  the 
devil,  do  the  scriptures  uniformly  ascribe  the  personal  de- 
pravity of  mankind.  Whenever  they  speak  of  the  corrupt 
spiritual  nature  of  an  individual,  or  of  a  community  of  indi- 
viduals, they  intend  to  describe  the  powerful  control  of  the 
influences  which  have  been  thus  enumerated.  They  may 
speak  of  the  character  of  human  beings,  in  viewing  law  se- 
parate from  mediatorial  provisions  ;  as  I  would  fain  hope 
theologians  themselves  make  the  same  reference,  in  the  es- 
timate of  mankind,  they  so  often  express.  Thus  judged,  all 
mankind  must  necessarily  perish.  But  still  their  perdition 
would  be  connected  with  their  personal  responsibility,  as 
none  of  them  can  obey  law.  Yet,  under  the  influences 
stated,  nothing  else  can  be  inferred  than  a  carnal  mind,  or 
the  habit  of  minding  the  things  of  the  flesh,  which  is  enmity 
against  God. 

If  any  should  not  be  convinced  by  the  preceding  argu- 
ment, or  do  not  perceive  that  their  own  responsibilities  call 
on  them  to  mortify  the  flesh — to  overcome  the  world — and  to 
resist  temptation,  as  covering  the  whole  sphere  of  their  ac- 
tion in  relation  to  sin  ;  then  let  me  ask  them  to  explain  to 
themselves,  how,  or  whence,  that  good  originates,  which 
they  call  morality  in  contradistinction  to  religion?  If 
mankind  be  wholly  defiled  in  all  the  parts  and  faculties  of 
body  and  soul,  and  be  dead  in  sin,  how  can  this  morality  ex- 
ist?    It  will  not  do  to  account  for  it  by  mere  restraint ;  be- 


166  LECTURES  ON 

cause  as  all  is  evil,  when  a  restraint  is  imposed,  that  which 
remains  unrestrained,  must  still  be  evil.     But  the  morality, 
of  which  we  speak,  is  not  evil,  but  good.     Will  any  one  un- 
dertake to  say,  that  conjugal  love  and  fidelity,  the  parental 
storge,  and  the  whole  train  of  social  virtues  are  evil,  and 
expect  to  be  believed  ?     When  Jesus  loved  the  young  ruler, 
who  had  kept  the  commandments  from  his  youth,  up,  and 
was  near  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  were  the  virtues  of  this 
young   man  evil,  and  did  the  redeemer  love  that  which  is 
evil  ?     When  the  gentiles  do  by  nature,  the  things  contain- 
ed in  the  law,  and  show  the  work  of  the  law  written  on  their 
hearts,  is  all  this  evil?     When    Paul,   comparing,  in    this 
respect,  jews  and  gentiles  together,  remarks,  that  they  who 
have  done  good,  whether  they  be  jews  or  gentiles,  shall  in- 
herit eternal  life,  must  their  good,  and  that  which  is  written 
on  their  hearts,  and  in  them  by  nature,  be  still  spoken  of  as 
evil?     And  all  this  too,  as  the  consequence  of  Adam's  sin  ; 
when  the  consequence  of  that  sin  is  explicitly  declared  to 
be,  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil  ?     Or  when  the  scriptures 
speak  of  any  being  dead  in  sin,  do  they  not  thereby  describe 
a  course  of  personal  transgressions  which  have  entirely  de- 
solated the  social  virtues  : — "Trespasses  and  sins,  wherein  in 
time  past  ye  ivalked,  according  to  the  course  of  this  world — 
according  to  the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air — in  the  lusts  of 
the  flesh?"     Look  at  Paul's  description  of  a  community  cha- 
racterised by  a  reprobate  mind,  in  the  first  chapter  of  his 
epistle  to  the  Romans,*  and  see  whether  it  be  Adam's  sin 
or  their  personal  transgressions,  to  which  he  ascribes  their 
dreadful  and  loathsome  apostacy;   or  whether  the  very  good 
we  have  spoken  of,  as  constituting  morality,  is  not  absent? 
— In  fine,  is  the  phrase, — dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  anything 
more  than   figurative  verbiage,  describing  those   who  have 
abused  their  privileges,  dishonored  the  institutions  of  divine 
love,  and  turned  traitors  to  the  general  weal? — If  this  argu- 
ment fail  to  convince,  it  is  useless  to  protract  a  discussion, 
when  even  demonstration  will  not  produce  conviction. 

But  after  all  what  has  been  gained  by  our  argument  ? — 
Truth,  if  no  other  peculiar  advantage,  I  answer.  Yet  I 
trust,  we  have  also  gained  personal  responsibility,  unembar* 
rassed  by  the  subtleties  and  sophistry  of  the  schools  ;  we 
have  disclosed  to  those  who  are  "ever  learning  and  never 
coming  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,"  the  reason  of  their 
unbroken  disappointment ;  we  have  made  appear  to  those 
♦Verses  18—32, 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  167 

who  are  professedly  waiting  for  God,  and  who  have  never 
experienced  the  regenerating  efficacy  of  his  grace,  the  rea- 
son why  they  have  not  realised  what  they  seem  to  desire  ; 
and  we  have  thrown  the  mere  sceptic,  confident  in  his  un- 
belief, proud  of  his  superiority  to  fanatical  delusion,  and  bit- 
ter in  his  satirical  strictures,  upon  his  own  personal  obliga- 
tion, as  he  demanded.  The  object  was  worth  achieving. 
And  having  achieved  it,  as  we  believe,  we  will  hold  it  fast 
with  becoming  confidence,  as  though  it  cheered  and  sus- 
tained us  in  our  way  to  the  heavenly  inheritance.  "Go  ye," 
said  Jesus,  when  he  commissioned  his  disciples  on  their 
errand  of  mercy,  and  ascended  to  the  throne  of  his  glory, — 
"Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature.  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptised  shall  be  saved; 
but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned." — Would  to  God, 
beloved  brethren,  ye  did  believe. 


LECTURE  VIII. 

Mediatorial   constitution. — Its     origin. —  Mediator. God 

manifested  in  the. flesh. — Seed  of  the  woman. — Phraseology 
explained. — The  delivering  of  the  kingdom  to  the  Father, 
when  the  end  shall  come. 

I  have  represented  the  paradisiacal  institute  as  a  politi- 
cal, or  external,  dispensation.  The  mediatorial  constitution, 
which  we  must  now  proceed  to  consider,  must  of  course  be 
explained  on  a  corresponding  principle.  Under  the  one, 
a  great  and  sore  evil  has  occurred  ;  and  under  the  other  a 
remedy  for  that  evil  is  provided.  Of  course  the  two  constitu- 
tions must  be  viewed  as  assimilated  to  each  other  :  or,  as  on 
the  one  hand,  the  broken  law  is  the  ministration  of  sin  and 
death  ;  so  on  the  other,  the  gospel  must  be  the  ministration  of 
righteousness  and  life.  The  law  having  been  constructed 
to  meet  the  peculiar  attributes  of  human  nature;  the  gos- 
pel must  be  similarly  framed,  or  it  would  be  inappropriate 
to  the  case  it  was  intended  to  relieve.  Under  both  forms 
of  the  divine  administration,  man  must  be  governed^  an 
intelligent  and  accountable  agent;  and  those  forms  must  be 
suited  to  him  as  having  no  innate  ideas  ;  but  as  acquiring  his 
ideas  by  his  external  senses,  and  through  the  medium  of 
objects  which  those  senses  can  recognise. 


1 68  Lectures  on 

God  himself  made  man  thus,  and  there  is  nothing  derog- 
atory to  the  divine  character  in  supposing,  that  the  divine 
legislation  will  precisely  correspond  with  human  nature. 
The  mediatorial  system  cannot  be  original  in  its  principles, 
because  it  is  only  intended,  and  proclnimed,  to  be  remedial; 
and  ofcuurse  any  available  matter  which  may  yet  belong  to 
the  original  system,  that  is  to  be  relieved,  will  not  be  rejected. 
Man  is  not  taken  out  of  his  corruptible  body,  and  placed  in 
another  bodily  form,  which  shall  be  more  congenial  to  the 
benevolent  purposes  of  his  creator.  Neither  are  the  natur- 
al relations  to  be  broken  up,  and  the  principle  of  social  re- 
sponsibility to  be  discarded.  But  a  new  social  hkad  is  to 
be  consecrated  ;  each  individual  must  "work  out  his  own 
salvation  ;"  and  provision,  ample  and  free,  must  be  made  ; 
that,  notwithstanding  the  infirmities  he  inherits,  and  the 
trials  that  await  him,  he  may  be  enabled  to  obtain  eternal 
life.  Of  course  the  two  systems  must  be  perfectly  an- 
alogous, and  the  distinct  attributes  of  man  must  be  as  fully 
and  as  prominently  displayed  in  the  last  as  they  were  in  the 
first.  Nor  does  the  grace,  or  the  wisdom,  or  the  power  of 
Jehovah  appear  less  conspicuous,  when  an  intellectual 
agency  is  thus  predicated  of  man  ;  than  when  he  is  described 
as  perfectly  passive,  or  mechanical,  under  the  influence 
of  a  regenerating  Spirit.  A  mere  word,  a  sovereign  act  of 
power,  would  accomplish  the  one;  while  a  series  of  means, 
most  diversified  and  minute,  and  equally  appropriate  to  the 
endless  variety  of  character  and  situation  which  human  so- 
ciety presents,  would  be  required  by  the  other.  Where  shall 
we  search  for  the  philosophy  of  the  natural  world,  if  it  be 
not  in  the  relation  between  cause  and  effect;  in  the  mutual 
dependencies,  in  the  action  and  reaction,  which  meet  us 
at  every  step;  while  each  creature  preserves  its  own  indi- 
vidual character,  and  carries  out  its  own  distinct  operations  ? 
In  like  manner  where  shall  we  search  for  the  philosophy  of 
intellectual  life,  or  moral  obligation,  if  all  the  actions  of  man's 
individual  faculties  are  to  be  merged  in  one  omnipotent 
mandate  ;  which  mandate  is  uttered  according  to  no  known 
law,  but  proceeds  from  mere  sovereign  good  pleasure.  I  infer 
then,  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  that  there  is  more  room  to 
display  grace,  wisdom  and  power,  in  a  regal  administration 
over  intelligent  and  free  agents,  than  there  can  be  in  a  sov- 
ereign superintendence  over  mechanical  agents. 

In  fact,  our  preceding  lectures  have  evinced,  that  the  me- 
diatorial institute  arises  directly  out  of  the  original  system  ; 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  169 

and  in  view  of  the  divine  character,  is  a  natural  and  ne- 
cessary result  from  the  violation  of  that  system.  Call  up  to 
your  recollection  the  following  particular?,  which  have  been 
distinctly  noticed  in  the  progress  of  the  general  argu- 
ment. 

1.  Angels  fell  on  personal  responsibility.  In  their  con- 
dition there  is  nothing  analogous  to  the  natural  relations 
among  men.*  No  mediator  has  been  provided  for  them. 
How  should  there  be  ?  Where  would  a  mediatorial  stand- 
ard be  reared  ?  On  what  circumstance  in  their  history,  on 
what  attribute  of  their  being,  could  a  remedial  institute  ex- 
ert its  influence  ?  The  case  with  mankind  is  entirely  dif- 
ferent. Behind  social  responsibility  remains  another  sys- 
tem, yet  unimpaired.  A  redeemer  might  turn  with  confi- 
dence to  man's  personal  character.  Under  such  circum- 
stances, why  should  a  mediator  not  be  provided  ? — The  door 
is  opened  here,  and  a  Saviour  enters. 

2.  If  Adam  had  not  eaten  the  forbidden  fruit,  then  after  a 
period  of  personal  probation,  each  of  his  posterity  should 
have  experienced  a  change  from  a  natural  into  a  spiritual 
body,  and  thus  have  been  introduced  to  a  final  judgment. 
This  change  could  not  have  been  accomplished  by  the  power 
of  the  human  being,  inasmuch  as  Adam  was  made  merely 
a  "  living  soul."  Here  then  too,  in  the  contemplated  ope- 
rations of  the  system,  the  exercise  of  divine  power  is  neces- 
sarily called  for.  Consequently,  when  we  are  reduced,  by 
Adam's  transgression,  to  look  at  the  other  side  of  the  sta- 
tute, or  to  follow  out  the  penalty  in  its  deleterious  action,  we 
arrive,  by  a  different  route,  at  the  very  same  spot.  For  death 
is  now  the  outlet  from  this  state  of  being,  to  introduce  each 
individual  to  his  personal  account  ;  as  the  change  from  a  na- 
tural into  a  spiritual  body  would  have  been,  if  Adam  had 
not  sinned.  The  divine  power  is  therefore  referred  to,  from 
the  nature  of  the  system;  and  whenever  Jehovah  steps  forth 
to  act,  he  will  of  course  display  the  intrinsic  excellence  of 
his  own  character. 

3.  The  posterity  of  Adam  have  been  brought  into  their 
various  embarrassments,  by  a  sin  not  their  own.  A  judicial 
case  is  thus  referred  to  the  divine  arbitrament.  If  the  accused 
be  not  guilty,  shall  they  be  condemned  ?  If  there  be  any 
alleviating  circumstance,  shall  it  not  be  considered — will  not 

justice  speak  ?  If  there  be  any  hope  of  reform,  will  notmercy 
speak  ?     Is  there  no  dispensing,  no  pardoning  power,  be- 

•Matt.xxii.  30. 
15 


170  LECTURES  ON 

longing  to  the  supreme  governor?  Shall  not  the  judge  of 
all  the  earth  do  right? — How  simple,  how  easy,  the  whole 
case  is ! 

4.  By  the  fall  of  Adam,  his  children  suffer  under  the  ma- 
lignant prowess  of  a  powerful  adversary;  by  which  means 
the  judicial  investigation  is  extended  to  embrace  a  wide  range 
of  circumstances.  A  spectacle  is  presented  to  the  universe  ; 
and  other  hosts  of  intellectual  beings  become  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  decision.  Again  we  are  thrown  on  the  divine 
character;  and  our  case  creates  universal  interest  and  sym- 
pathy. 

The  system  itself  then  opens  up  a  door  for  mediatorial  re- 
lief, and  the  character  of  God  becomes  the  turning  point, 
where  an  inquiry  is  to  be  instituted  as  to  subsequent  proceed- 
ings. I  know  very  well  that  theologians  have  taken  a  very 
different  view  of  this  whole  matter.  Fond  of  abstractions, 
and  imagining  that  the  more  degraded  the  creature  is  repre- 
sented to  be,  the  more  glorious  God  will  appear,  they  can 
see  nothing  but  an  inscrutable  sovereignty  presiding  over 
the  melancholy  scene  ;  and  deepen  the  gloom,  by  teaching 
that  God  should  have  been  just,  had  he  condemned  Adam 
and  all  his  posterity  to  everlasting  perdition,  for  the  "one 
offence."  I  cannot  so  speak  of  Jehovah.  The  scriptures 
afford  no  such  representations  of  his  character  or  conduct. 
And  much  do  I  marvel,  that  even  those  who  have  been 
taught,  from  their  earliest  years,  to  estimate  their  creator  under 
such  dark  and  suspicious  shadings  of  character,  when  they 
see  that  he  has  filled  the  earth  with  his  goodness,  should  not 
promptly  embrace  the  first  opportunity  of  forming  lovelier 
views.  Such  thoughts  of  God  must  cripple  all  their  efforts 
in  his  service  ;  rebuke  any  approach  to  intimate  or  filial  fel- 
lowship;  limit  their  spiritual  experience;  fill  up  their  pil- 
grimage with  misgivings  and  distraction;  and  consign  them 
to  the  grave  amid  doubts  and  fears.  Hence  confidence  has 
been  withdrawn  from  the  redeemer  himself;  and  saints  and 
angels,  as  secondary  mediators,  with  a  surplusage  of  super- 
rogated  works,  and  liturgies  for  the  dead,  have  been  called 
in  as  adjuvants.  Hence  so  much  blame  has  been  thrown  on 
Adam  at  one  time,  and  on  Satan  at  another;  for  some  mode 
of  explanation,  which  involves  every  thing  in  obscurity,  is 
indispensable  to  meet  such  a  statement.  Hence  the  chil- 
ling maxim,  by  which  many  justify  their  own  tremulous 
hopes — "he  who  never  doubted,  never  believed."  The 
character  which  such  moral  philosophers  or  melancholy  the- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  171 

ologians  delineate,  when  they  undertake  to  describe  the  gov- 
ernor over  all,  excites  no  confidence  and  wins  no  love. — I 
feel  not  at  all  surprised,  that  a  party  should  arise  in  France, 
as  has  been  reported,  or  that  such  a  sect  should  arise  any 
where,  setting  forth  the  idea, — that  Christianity  may  be  suit- 
able to  the  heavenly  state  ;  but  that  we  need  another  system  of 
religion,  and  one  that  will  be  fitted  to  this  world. — Fortu- 
nately, however,  for  many,  their  inward  exercises  do  not  al- 
ways correspond  with  their  published  creed.  They  derive 
loftier  moral  views,  and  more  heavenly  sensations,  while 
meditating  on  the  divine  promises.  In  these  promises, 
which  are  exceedingly  great  and  precious,  they  glean  some 
vivid  ideas  of  divine  love;  and  under  the  pleasing  and  en- 
chanting, but  often  transitory,  excitement,  they,  for  the  mo- 
ment, forget  their  petrifying  views  of  God,  as  riding  on  the 
whirlwind,  and  crushing  them  under  the  denunciations  of 
unsatisfied  law. — But  let  us  appeal  to  the  law  and  to  the 
testimony: — Our  beloved  Lord  speaks  for  himself. 

God  is  love.  All  his  works, — creation  and  providence — 
proclaim  his  goodness.  "  I  am,"  said  he,  "  the  Lord,  the  Lord 
God,  merciful  and  gracious,  long-suffering  and  abundant  in 
goodness  and  in  truth, — slow  to  anger  and  ofgreat  kindness." 
He  meets  all  who  are  distrustful  and  timorous  with  a  solemn 
oath, — "  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord,  1  have  no  pleasure  in  the 
death  of  the  wicked;  but  that  the  wicked  turn  from  his  way 
and  live  ;  turn  ye  turn  ye  from  your  evil  ways  ;  for  why  will  ye 
die,  O  house  of  Israel  ?" — Such  is  his  character,  and  when  did 
he  ever  falsify  it  ?  Whom  did  he  ever  disappoint  ?  Whoever 
called  and  were  not  heard,  or  turned  and  were  rejected? 
Who  ever  perished  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  or  were  thrown 
from  the  everlasting  arms  into  the  gulph  of  perdition  ? 
Whom  has  he  not  commanded,  warned,  entreated,  and  be- 
sought?— Come,  plead  against  him  if  thou  canst.  Recount 
his  unkindnesses,  tell  ofthine  unanswered  prayers,  make  men- 
tion of  thy  righteous  deeds,  and  publish  abroad  the  sorrows 
of  a  heart  he  has  broken  by  his  unrelenting  severity,- — if  it 
be  in  thy  power,  to  fling  one  single  reproach  against  his  mer- 
ciful administration.  Reproach  him  ?  No,  thou  canst  not. 
All  thy  life  long,  his  people,  his  ministers,  his  bible,  his  Spir- 
it, have  sounded  in  thine  ear, — "  God  so  loved  the  world,  that 
he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in 
him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life :"  and  at 
this  hour,  conscience,  in  thine  own  bosom,  responds  to  the 
truth  of  the  fact.     At  his  bar,  and  in  the  day  of  his  burning 


1 72  LECTURES  ON 

glory,  thy  spirit  shall  meet  the  unanswerable  argument — to 
sink,  it  may  be,  unredeemed,  and  under  a  load  of  personal 
guilt,  into  wailing  and  woe. 

This  is  with  me,  as  it  ought  to  be  with  all,  a  favorite  topic. 
Permit  me  to  recite  some  of  the  appeals,  which  the  Saviour 
himself  makes  to  the  good  sense  of  mankind. — "  What  man 
is  there  of  you,  whom  if  his  son  ask  bread,  will  he  give  him 
a  stone?  Or  if  he  ask  a  fish,  will  he  give  him  a  serpent?"  No 
man  would  be  so  inhuman  or  unfeeling.  "  If  ye  then,  being 
evil,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  children,  how 
much  more  shall  your  father,  which  is  in  heaven  give  good, 
things  to  them  that  ask  him  ?"  He  has  nothing  evil  about 
him.  He  is  your  father,  and  you  are  his  children.  Can 
you  then  for  a  moment  suppose,  that  he  is  destitute  of  the 
feelings  of  a  father? 

You  ask  me,  why  I  receive  sinners  and  eat  with  them? 
"What  man  of  you,  having  an  hundred  sheep,  if  he  lose  one 
of  them,  doth  not  leave  the  ninety  and  nine  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  go  after  that  which  is  lost,  until  he  find  it  ?  And 
when  he  hath  found  it,  he  layeth  it  on  his  shoulders,  re- 
joicing. And  when  he  cometh  home,  he  calleth  together 
his  friends  and  neighbors,  saying  unto'  them,  rejoice  with 
me  ;  for  I  have  found  my  sheep  which  was  lost."  In  like 
manner,  when  I  go  out  as  the  great  shepherd  ;  "there  is  joy 
in  heaven  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth,  more  than  over 
ninety  and  nine  just  persons  that  need  no  repentance." 

"Either  what  woman  having  ten  pieces  of  silver,  if  she  lose 
one,  doth  not  light  a  candle,  and  sweep  the  house,  and  seek 
diligently  till  she  find  it?  And  when  she  hath  found  it,  she 
calleth  her  friends  and  her  neighbors  together,  saying,  rejoice 
with  me ;  for  I  have  found  the  piece  which  I  had  lost. 
Likewise,  I  say  unto  you  there  is  joy  in  the  presence  of  the 
ano-els  of  God  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth." 

A  prodigal  son,  having  spent  all  his  property  in  riotous 
living,  returns  to  his  father's  house,  degraded,  mortified  and 
ruined  ?  Shall  he  be  rejected?  Or  will  not  a  glad  father, 
and  a  rejoicing  household,  clothe  him  with  the  best  robe,  kill 
for  him  the  fatted  calf,  and  rejoice  that  he  who  was  lost  is 
found  ?  Would  any  object  to  such  a  display  of  the  paternal 
heart,  unless  it  might  be  a  jealous,  ill-natured,  self-righteous 
brother?  And  do  you  find  fault  because  I  seek  to  turn  sin- 
ners from  destruction?  Have  you  no  humanity  to  stimu- 
late; no  good  sense  to  direct,  your  feelings?  Shall  your 
heavenly  Father  manifest  less  kindness  than  his  own  crea^ 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  173 

tures  ;  or  in  moral  sensibilities,  sink  below  a  mortal  man  ? 
Be  it  known  unto  you,  that  "  it  is  not  the  will  of  your 
Father,  which  is  in  heaven,  that  one  of  these  little  ones 
should  perish." 

The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  certain  king,  who, 
in  taking  occount  of  his  servants,  freely  forgave  a  defaulter 
10,000  talents.  He  had  been  brought  under  the  condemna- 
tion of  law  ;  and  himself,  wife  and  children,  and  all  that  he 
had,  were  liable  to  be  sold.  But  he  humbly  sought  his  lord, 
and  was  freely  forgiven.  Such  is  the  nature  of  the  kingdom 
of  heaven,  or  the  import  of  the  gospel  of  grace. — But  that 
same  servant,  went  out  and  found  one  of  his  fellow-servants, 
who  owed  him  100  pence.  Disregarding  the  high  example 
which  had  been  set  before  him,  and  abusing  the  grace  of 
which  he  had  been  so  large  and  welcome  a  recipient,  he  vio- 
lently proceeded  to  the  extremity  of  the  law.  Prayer,  entreaty, 
promises,  appeals  to  his  compassion,  produced  no  impression 
on  his  hard  heart  ;  but  he  cast  his  unfortunate  companion 
into  prison,  and  left  him  to  his  sufferings,  until  the  debt 
should  be  paid.  But  the  lord  was  wroth,  and  said — "  O  thou 
wicked  servant,  I  forgave  thee  all  that  debt,  because  thou 
desiredst  me.  Shouldest  not  thou  also  have  had  compassion 
on  thy  fellow  servant,  even  as  I  had  pity  on  thee  ?  And  the 
lord  delivered  him  to  the  tormentors,  till  he  should  pay  all 
that  was  due  to  him."  Such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  such 
is  my  Father's  administration:  "so  shall  he  do  also  un- 
to you,  if  ye  from  your  hearts  forgive  not  every  one  his 
trespasses." 

The  idea,  therefore,  that  God  would  have  been  just  in  con- 
demning all  Adam's  posterity  to  eternal  perdition,  and  for 
Adam's  "one  offence, "  falsifies  every  view  of  the  divine 
character  which  has  been  given  in  the  scriptures;  belongs 
to  a  system  of  morals  which  would  degrade  even  a  sinful 
man  ;  and  is  reprobated  by  the  master  as  sheer  wickedness. 
On  the  other  hand  free  forgiveness,  a  gracious  response  to 
a  prayer  for  mercy,  and  a  kind  regard  to  every  good  moral 
feeling  which  can  exist  in  a  human  heart,  constitute  the  very 
mode  of  divine  operation  which  is  embodied  in  the  gospel, 
and  which  invites  human  confidence.  There  are  "  terrors 
of  the  Lord"  unquestionably.  Dishonored  law,  and  des- 
pised grace,  will  remit  a  man  to  "  the  tormentors."  But 
how  ministers  of  the  gospel  can  so  far  have  forgotten 
the  benevolence  of  their  high  calling,  and  the  grace  of  the 
gospel  they  preach ;  how  they  can  consent  to  merge  what 
15* 


174  LECTURES   ON 

is  so  good  and  lovely,  so  condescending  and  kind,  in  con- 
tinually uttering  denunciations,  and  throwing  human  beino-s 
into  such  fearful  paroxysms  of  alarmed  feeling  ;  or  how  they 
can  interpret  animal  convulsions  as  spiritual  exercises,  wor- 
thy of  an  intelligent  being  and  grateful  to  Jehovah  ;  I  do 
not,  and  cannot,  perceive.  Assuredly  such  proceedings  are 
not  sanctioned  by  the  commission  they  have  received;  by 
the  nature  of  the  message  they  are  required  to  utter;  by  any 
intelligent  views  of  human  nature  they  can  form  ;  or  by  any 
example  either  of  the  master,  or  of  his  apostles,  they  have 
ever  read. 

As  a  mediatorial  scheme  may  then  naturally  be  looked  for ; 
as  all  its  provisions  must  be  suited  to  the  case  which  is  to  be 
relieved  ;  and  as  those  provisions  must  be  most  heavenly  and 
godlike  in  benevolence ;  let  us  proceed  with  the  historian,  and 
investigate  the  attributes  of  the  remedial  system,  which  was 
promptly  introduced.  It  is  expressed  by  God  himself  in  the 
following  manner : — "  I  will  put  enmity  between  thee  and 
the  woman,  and  between  thy  seed  and  her  seed  ;  it  shall  bruise 
thy  head,  and  thou  shalt  bruise  his  heel."  The  peculiar  phra- 
seology was  derived  from  the  transactions  themselves,  as  they 
had  just  transpired  ;  and  imported  to  Adam  and  Eve,  as  much 
as  any  promise,  can  announce  to  us,  which  appears  to  be 
more  lucid  and  expressive,  now  that  we  are  placed  under 
different  circumstances.  A  better  view  could  not  have 
been  given  to  our  first  parents,  nor  a  happier  emblem  have 
been  selected,  than  that  which  the  history  of  the  literal  ser- 
pent should  transmit  from  age  to  age. 

"The  seed  of  the  woman"  is  declared  to  be  the  mediato- 
rial prince,  who  should  arise  to  achieve  the  redemption  of 
our  race.  From  the  very  first  he  is  described  as  the  Son  of 
God,  and  as  "the  desire  of  women."  Adam  had  been  known 
as  the  Son  of  God ;  but  he  was  made  of  the  dust  of  the 
ground,  and  was  not  "the  seed  of  the  woman."  Christ  was 
not  made  of  the  dust,  but  was  "the  only  begotten  Son  of  God." 
This  peculiarity  in  regard  of  his  human  natuie,  is  very  dis- 
tinctly asserted  in  both  the  old  and  new  testaments ;  and  its 
design  was,  that  he  might  wear  <>'the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh," 
without  having  sinful  flesh:  or  that  he  might  have  the  nature, 
into  which  sin  had  introduced  its  baneful  influence,  without 
having  the  sin.  If  he  had  been  a  son  of  a  mortal  father, 
both  physiologically  and  legally,  his  flesh  would  have  been 
awful.  Like  "Adam  he  would  have  been  merely  "a  living^ 
soul,"  instead  of  a  quickening  spirit.     But  as  God  himself 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  175 

was  his  Father,  both  physiologically  and  legally,  his  animal, 
or  human,  nature  became  qualified  for  the  instrumentality  it 
was  intended  to  subserve. — "A  body,"  said  he,  "hast  thou 
prepared  me" — suitable  in  its  constitution  and  temperament, 
for  the  great  work  it  was  intended  to  perform.  This  Was 
necessary.  "It  behooved  him,  in  all  things  to  be  made  like 
unto  his  brethren,  that  he  might  be  a  merciful  and  faithful 
high  priest  in  things  pertaining  to  God. — It  became  him,  for 
whom  are  all  things,  and  by  whom  are  all  things,  in  bring- 
ing many  sons  unto  glory,  to  make  the.  captain  of  their  sali- 
vation perfect  through  sufferings. — Such  an  high  priest  be- 
came us,  who  was  holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  separate  from: 
sinners,  and  made  higher  than  the  heavens. — We  have  not 
an  high  priest,  which  cannot  be  touched  with  the  feeling  of 
our  infirmities  ;  but  was  in  all  points  tempted  like  as  we  are, 
yet  without  sin."  It  was  indispensably  necessary  that  our 
Saviour  should  wear  our  nature  ;  but  it  was  equally  neces- 
sary, that  he  should  be  without  sin.  This  was  the  great 
point  to  be  gained.  His  being  "the  seed  of  the  woman," 
while  yet  he  had  no  mortal  father,  accomplished  the  import- 
ant end;  and  in  a  way,  to  which  no  one,  who  understands 
the  doctrines  of  correct  legal  jurisprudence,  or  can  state  an 
accurate  and  consistent  view  of  the  physiology  belonging 
to  the  case,  could  offer  one  rational  or  philosophical  objec- 
tion. 

As  the  constitution  of  the  mediatorial  person,  is  not  an 
arbitrary  matter,  whose  attributes  are  to  be  considered  in- 
dependently of  the  nature  of  the  system  which  is  calling  for 
relief;  the  first  thing  which  claims  our  attention,  is  the  ap- 
plication of  an  original  principle  to  the  case  in  hand.  Man 
has  no  innate  ideas;  but  acquires  his  ideas  by  means  of  his 
external  senses.  Inferring  the  existence  of  a  supreme  in- 
telligence from  the  works  around  him,  and  which  are  inten- 
ded to  afford,  through  those  senses,  the  evidence  of  Jeho- 
vah's eternal  power  and  godhead,  he  naturally  seeks  after 
personal  intercourse  with  Jehovah.  To  meet  that  desire 
and  view,  Jehovah  had  previously  assumed  external  form  ; 
and  under  this  manifestation,  he  is  denominated  the  Voice 
or  Word.  Man  is  now  fallen.  According  to  our  argu- 
ment his  external  senses  are  impaired.  Can  he  then  enjoy 
that  personal  intercourse  which  his  nature  demands;  and  if 
not,  what  shall  be  done?  I  answer,  that  agreeably  to  the 
fact  recorded  in  the  biography  of  Moses,  man  could  not,  in 
his  lapsed  state,  see  the  face  of  God  and  live.     Either  then, 


176  LECTURES  ON 

the  whole  doctrine  of  personal  intercourse  must  be  aban- 
doned, or  another  manifestation,  suited  to  man's  present 
condition,  must  be  afforded.  Here  then,  in  the  nature  of  man, 
and  from  the  nature  of  his  circumstances,  arises  the  necessity 
for  Christ's  divinity.  And  if  this  view  be  correct,  the  doc- 
trine of  Christ's  divinity,  which,  as  you  know,  I  never  for  a  mo- 
ment denied,  is  put  to  rest.  No  man,  who  admits  that  our  argu- 
ment is  scriptural  and  conclusive,  can  ever  have,  even  a  lin- 
gering, doubt  upon  that  controverted  point; — in  relation  to 
which  philosophy  and  philology,  reason  and  revelation,  history 
and  authority,  reproach  and  invective,  have  all  been  summon- 
ed, and  forced  to  respond  to  the  appeals  of  angry  disputants  : 
and  about  which, — after  all  the  controversy,  the  common 
mind  has  not  one  clear,  or  well  defined  idea,  in  leference  to 
its  heavenly  principle.  The  spirit  of  Arius  and  of  the  coun- 
cil of  Nice,  which  at  an  early  day  acted  out  a  very  gloomy 
trao-edy  in  the  name  of  the  head  of  the  church,  seems  still 
to  preside  over  the  troubled  scene.  Whether  any  thing  can 
be  offered  to  reconcile  the  combatants,  prejudiced  and  com- 
mitted as  they  are,  is  a  very  doubtful  matter;  or  rather,  men 
are  too  sectarian,  calmly  or  patiently  to  judge  of  any  argu- 
ment which  is  not  expressed  in  their  own  technicalities. 

The  necessity  for  a  second  personal  manifestation  of  Je- 
hovah having  occurred,  he  has  been  pleased,  so  far  as  man 
is  concerned,  to  divest  himself  of  the  form  of  God,  and  to 
take  the  form  of  a  servant.  Accordingly  the  mediator  has 
been  represented  as  a  divine  personage,  by  the  old  and  new 
testament  writers,  as  well  as  by  his  own  assertions  before 
he  appeared,  and  while  he  was  upon  earth.  The  details  on 
this  subject  are  highly  interesting,  and  the  progress  of  our 
discussion  requires  us  to  pursue  them. 

When  Cain  was  born,  Eve  remarked, — "I  have  gotten 
the  man,  Jehovah  his  very  self."  She  does  not  appear  to 
have  noticed  or  understood  the  peculiarity  of  the  promise, 
as  it  was  afterwards  explained;  yet  seems  fully  to  have  un- 
derstood t^e  fact,  that  the  deliverer  should  be  divine.  What 
was  her  train  of  reflection,  or  wherein  the  fallacy  of  her  cal- 
culation consisted,  we  are  not  informed.  But  she  appears 
to  have  cherished  her  mistake  ;  and  to  have  incorporated  it 
in  the  early  habits  of  thinking,  which  her  son  had  formed. 
Her  observation  is  the  only  hint  given,  from  which  we  can 
ascertain  any  reason  for  his  dereliction.  His  character  be- 
trays mortified  pride,  and  disappointed  ambition,  together 
with  excited  envy  on  account  of  his  brother's  higher  pro- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  ltT 

mise. — The  case  of  Rebecca,  furnishes  an  analogous  fact,  in 
the  history  of  maternal  mistakes. 

At  the  close  of  the  scene,  when  Abraham  was  called  to 
offer  his  son  in  sacrifice,  he  called  the  name  of  the  spot — 
Jehovah-jireh,  saying  in  this  mountain  Jehovah  shall  be  seen. 
The  deportment  of  the  patriarch,  including,  of  course  the 
confession  of  the  divine  name  which  he  thus  made,  has  been 
celebrated  in  the  scriptures,  as  a  brilliant  specimen  of  the 
righteousness  of  faith.  The  situation  in  which  Isaac  was 
placed,  when  bound  on  the  sacrificial  pile,  and  under  the 
uplifted  knife  of  a  beloved  father,  who  was  reposing  all  his 
confidence  in  the  ability  of  God  to  raise  his  son  from  the 
dead;  the  relief  which  was  granted  when  another  victim 
was  provided; — the  whole  matter  with  all  its  references, 
forms  a  beautiful  figure  of  the  mediatorial  system,  the  pa- 
triarchal faith  in  which,  is  so  highly  commended.  ^  As 
Abraham  was  constituted  a  covenant  head,  and  the  heir  of 
the  world;  as  he  did  become  an  official  head,  under  whose 
auspices  two  subsequent  dispensations  were  erected  ;  and 
as  in  his  seed  all  the  families.of  the  earth  should  be  blessed, 
there  can  be  no  mistake  in  the  comment  he  makes;  while 
the  facts  must  be  considered  as  a  typical  pledge  of  some  fu- 
ture and  more  glorious  scene.  Somewhere,  in  the  develop- 
ment of  God's  purposes  of  love,  events  must  transpire,  in 
which  this  singular  pledge  should  be  redeemed,  and  to 
which  this  scenic  exhibition  most  distinctly  and  happily  al- 
luded. Accordingly  the  reference  points  to  the  sacrifice  of 
the  Son  of  God,  when  on  mount  Mori  ah  or  Calvary,  he  ap- 
peared to  take  away  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself.  He 
with  whom  Abraham  conversed,  and  to  whom  he  offered 
sacrifice,  was  the  angel,  or  messenger,  of  Jehovah,  of  whom 
mention  is  frequently  made;  and  who  is  described  as  the 
lord,  that  was  afterwards  to  come  into  his  temple.  On  the 
present  occasion  he  said  to  Abraham, — "Thou  hast  not 
withheld  thy  son,  thine  only  son,  from  me."* 

But  other  facts  occurred  in  the  history  of  this  princely 
patriarch,  as  well  as  in  that  of  his  immediate  successors, 
Isaac  and  Jacob.  When  he  was  "ninety  years  old  and  nine, 
Jehovah  appeared  unto  him,  and  said  unto  him,  I  am  the 
Almighty  God,  walk  before  me  and  be  thou  perfect.'' — 
Again  "Jehovah  appeared  unto  him,  in  the  plains  of  Mam  re  : 
and  he  sat  in  the  tent  door  in  the  heat  of  day.  And  he  lift 
up  his  eyes  and  looked,  and  lo  three  men  stood  by  him." 

*Gen.  xxii.  12. 


178  LECTURES  ON 

After  this  he  held  a  long  and  familiar  conversation  with  one 
of  these,  who  is  represented  to  have  been  Jehovah.  Moses 
was  explicitly  told  by  Jehovah — " I appeared  unto  Abraham, 
unto  Isaac,  and  unto  Jacob  as,  or  by  the  name,  or  form,  of 
almighty  God;  but  by  my  name,  or  personal  form,  of  Je- 
hovah, was  I  not  known  unto  them.  All  these  appearances 
in  the  biography  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  were  in  the 
form  of  man  ;  and  ihe  facts  no  presumptuousness  can  deny, 
nor  ingenuity  fritter  away. 

David  utters  a  remarkable  declaration,  which  is  afterwards 
quoted  by  the  redeemer  in  elucidation  of  his  own  official 
pretensions: — "The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord,  sit  thou  at 
my  right  hand."  The  term  Lord,  as  it  was  originally  used, 
ever  imported  inferiority  on  the  part  of  him  who  used  it. 
David,  in  using  it,  then  referred  to  the  superiority  of  him  of 
whom  he  spake.  Hence  the  difficulty  which  the  pharisees 
felt  in  answering  the  question, — "if  David  in  spirit  call 
him  lord  how  is  he  his  son  ?  David,  as  the  king  of  Israel, 
had  no  superior,  but  the  God  of  Israel. 

Isaiah  describes  a  vision  which  he  enjoyed,  when  the  roy- 
al magnificence  of  the  heavenly  court  was  spread  out  before 
his  view.  That  which  the  prophet  beheld,  an  apostle  tells 
us,  was  the  glory  of  Christ.* 

The  prophet  Malachi  closes  the  old  testament,  with  the 
divine  promise,' — "Behold,  I  will  send  my  messenger,  and 
he  shall  prepare  the  way  before  me:  and  the  Lord,  whom 
ye  seek,  shall  suddenly  come  to  his  temple,  even  the  messen- 
ger (angel,)  of  the  covenant,  whom  ye  delight  in  :  behold  he 
shall  come,  saith  Jehovah  of  hosts."  Jehovah  here  pro- 
claims,— my  messenger  shall  prepare  the  way  before  me: 
the  Lord  is  to  come  into  his  temple:  the  angel  of  the  cov- 
enant is  the  Lord,  who  was  to  come.  This  passage  the  re- 
deemer interprets  as  referring  to  John  the  baptist,  who  came 
to  prepare  his  way  ;  and  whose  official  employment,  for 
which  he  had  been  specifically  designated,  was  to  bear  tes- 
timony to  the   Messiah. 

There  is  something  peculiarly  striking,  and  particularly 
interesting,  in  this  denomination,  which  the  prophet  uses  in 
reference  to  the  Lord;  and  which  has  already  occurred  to 
our  notice  in  the  history  of  Abraham.  He  is  called  the 
angel  of  the  covenant,  which  might  at  first  view  detract 
from  the  divinity  of  his  person.  But  the  mosaic  dispensa- 
tion was  the  administration  of  law,  and  was  introduced  by 

*  John  xii.  41. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  179 

God  under  the  character  of  lawgiver: — or  in  his  form,  or 
name,  Jehovah.  Was  there  then,  under  the  levitical  dis- 
pensation, no  personal  exhibition  of  Jehovah  in  a  mediato- 
rial point -of  view?  Having  appeared  in  the  form  of  man  to 
Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob;  and  the  jews  living,  not  merely 
under  the  sinaic,  but  also  under  the  abrahamic  covenant; 
was  this  peculiar  and  important  manifestation  of  God  entire- 
ly withdrawn?  Observe,  the  expression  of  Malachi  identi- 
fies the  Lord  with  this  angel,  and  calls  him  the  angel  of 
the  covenant.  And  this  fact  can  scarcely  fail  to  call  up 
to  the  recollection  of  the  biblical  reader,  a  declaration  that 
God  made  to  his  people,  which  is  remarkable  in  itself,  and 
at  the  same  time  clearly  explains  the  matter  in  hand.  "  Be- 
hold," said  he,  "  I  send  an  angel  before  thee,  to  keep  thee 
in  the  way,  and  to  bring  thee  into  the  place  which  I  have 
prepared:  beware  of  him,  and  obey  his  voice,  provoke  him 
not;  for  he  will  not  pardon  your  transgressions:  for  my 
name  is  in  him."*  Again,  the  reader  of  the  scriptures  will 
as  readily  call  up  to  his  recollection,  a  fact  which  occured 
in  the  history  of  Joshua.  On  some  occasion,  while  he  "  was 
by  Jericho,  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  looked,  and  behold, 
there  stood  a  man  over  against  him,  with  his  sword  drawn 
in  his  hand;  and  Joshua  went  unto  him,  and  said  unto  him, 
— Art  thou  for  us, or  for  our  adversaries?  And  he  said,  nay, 
but  as  captain  of  the  host  of  the  Lord  am  I  now  come. 
And  Joshua  fell  on  his  face  to  the  earth,  and  did  worship, 
and  said  unto  him,  What  saith  my  Lord  unto  his  servant? 
And  the  captain  of  the  Lord's  host  said  unto  Joshua, — 
Loose  thy  shoe  from  off  thy  foot,  for  the  place  whereon  thou 
standest  is  holy."i  Here  the  angel,  or  the  messenger, — 
for  we  are  not  to  suppose  that  it  was  an  angelic  form  which 
he  assumed, — whose  official  character  is  that  of  captain, — 
a  term  which,  you  know,  is  appropriated  to  the  Lord  Jesus, 
— appears  not  only  as  a  man;  but  acts  as  Jehovah,  in  re- 
minding Joshua,  that  the  spot  on  which  he  stood  was  holy, 
being  consecrated  by  the  divine  presence.  The  angel,  or 
messenger,  of  the  covenant,  who  went  up  before  the  people, 
and  who  consequently  was  captain,  requiring  all  obedience 
to  his  orders,  in  whom  Jehovah's  name  dwelt,  was  then 
that  same  Almighty  God,  who  had  appeared  to  Abraham, 
Isaac,  and  Jacob,  their  patriarchal  fathers.  It  was  he,  of 
whom  the  prophet  Isaiah  predicates  that  same  "fel- 
low-feeling,"  which  the  apostle  Paul  ascribes  to  our  great 

*Exod.  xxiii.  20,  21.  f  Joshua  v.  13—15. 


180  LECTURES  ON 

high-priest,,  saying — "In  all  their  affliction  he  was  afflicted, 
and  the  angel  of  his  presence  saved  them:  in  his  love  and 
in  his  pity  he  redeemed  them;  and  he  bare  them  and  car- 
ried them  all  the  days  of  old.*  Malachi  has  stated  this  sub- 
ject, or  penned  his  prophecy,  in  appropriate  terms,  when 
he  says, — "  The  Lord,  whom  ye  seek,  shall  suddenly  come 
into  his  temple,  even  the  messenger  of  the  covenant 
whom  ye  delight  in." 

If  I  have  not  sufficiently  identified  the  angel  as  being  the 
Lord,  and  well  known  as  such,  I  will  refer  you  to  the  ac- 
count which  Moses  gives  of  his  own  induction  into  the 
apostolic  office.  "The  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  unto 
him  in  a  flame  of  fire  out  of  the  midst  of  a  bush.  And 
wheel  Jehovah  saw -that  he  turned  aside  to  see,  the  Elohim 
called  unto  him  out  of  the  midst  of  the  bush,  and  said — I 
am  the  Elohim  of  thy  father,  the  Elohim  of  Abraham,  the  Elo- 
him of  Isaac,  and  the  Elohim  of  Jacob." — The  angel  and 
the  Elohim  are  the  same. 

The  simple  fact,  however,  that  Jehovah  says  concerning 
this  angel,  "  My  name  is  in  him,"  ought  to  satisfy  any  one 
who  will  give  due  attention  to  the  use  of  terms.  This 
phrase  is  ever  descriptive  of  a  personal  manifestation  which 
Jehovah  affords  of  himself;  and  therefore  has  a  direct  refer- 
ence to  trinity,  the  doctrine  of  which  has  been  already 
discussed  at  large.  But,  perhaps,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to 
observe  again,  that  the  original  words,  translated  name,  in 
hebrew  and  greek,  are  used  for  the  person  himself,  whom 
they  may  be  intended  to  represent.  The  name  of  Jehovah 
is  accordingly  employed  in  the  old  testament,  as  a  title  be- 
longing to  either  personal  manifestation.  In  the  new  testa- 
ment the  redeemer  prays, — "  Glorify  thy  nam*,"  and  com- 
mands his  disciples  to  baptise  "in  the  name  of  Father, 
Son  and  Holy  Ghost."  The  term  is  thus  used  also  for  hu- 
man persons;  as  for  example: — "The  number  of  the  names 
(persons)  together  were  about  1:20. "t  "Thou  hast  a  few 
names,  (persons)  even  in  Sardis,  who  have  not  defiled  their 
garments."?  "  And  in  the  earthquake  were  slain  of  men 
(names)  seven  thousand;  and  the  remnant  (of  names,  or 
persons,  of  course)  were  affrighted,  and  gave  glory  to  God."§ 
The  very  fact,  therefore,  that  Jehovah  remarks  concerning 

*Isa.  lxiii.  9.  f  Acts  i.  15.  +  Rev.  iii.4.  §  Rev.  xi.  13. 

See  Parkhurst's  Lex.  either  tleb.  or  Gr.  He  refers  to  Longinus  as 
using  the  greek  terms,  which  would  be  literally  rendered—  one  name, — 
for  one  perso7i. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  181 

the  angel,  whose  official  character  we  are  considering — My 
name  is  in  him, — is  irrefragable  proof  that  the  mediatorial 
manifestation  is  designed  to  be  expressed  by  the  term. 

To  proceed,  Matthew  takes  up  the  subject,  where  Mala- 
chi  left  it,  and  tells  us,  both  of  the  messenger  who  should 
prepare  the  way  of  the  Lord;  and  of  the  virgin-born  child, 
who  should  be  called  Immanuel,  i.  e.  God  with  us:  and 
whom  Isaiah  had  declared  should  be  designated  by  the  name 
— Wonderful,  Counsellor,  the  mighty  God,  the  everlast- 
ing father,  the  Prince  of  Peace.*  John  fulfils  his  office 
in  pointing  to  Jesus  of  Nazareth  as  the  Highest,  whose 
way  he  came  to  prepare ;  who  should  baptize  men  with  the 
Holy  Ghost;  who  would  thoroughly  purge  his  floor,  and 
gather  his  wheat  into  the  garner,  while  he  would  burn  up 
the  chaff  with  unquenchable  fire. 

John,  the  apostle,  says  of  him, — fj  In  the  beginning  was 
the  word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and  the  word  was 
God.  The  Word  was  made  flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us, 
and  we  beheld  his  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten 
of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth."  In  short,  all  the 
evangelists  lay  themselves  out  to  demonstrate,  by  the  de- 
tails of  his  own  ministry,  that  he  was  the  Son  of  God,  in 
whom  the  Father  dwelt. 

Jesus  declared  that  the  Father  dwelt  in  him.  He  said, 
— "  The  Father  himself,  which  hath  sent  me,  hath  borne 
witness  of  me.  Ye  have  neither  heard  his  voice  at  any 
time,  nor  seen  his  shape.  I  am  in  the  Father  and  the  Father 
in  me;  he  that  hath  seen  me,  hath  seen  the  Father;  and  how 
sayest  thou  then,  show  us  the  Father? 

After  he  had  gone  to  his  kingdom,  his  disciples  testified 
concerning  him,  and  proclaimed  his  glory: — "We  were 
eye-witnesses  of  his  Majesty.  In  him  dwelleth  all  the  full- 
ness of  the  godhead  bodily.  He  divested  himself  of  the  form 
of  God,  and  took  the  form  of  a  servant.  God  is  in  Christ,  re- 
conciling the  world  unto  himself,  not  imputing  unto  men 
their  trespasses.  All  things  were  made  by  him.  Moses 
was  faithful  in  God's  house  as  a  servant;  but  Christ,  as  a 
son,  presided  over  his  own  house.  As  God  entered  into 
rest,  when  he  finished  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  even  so 

Jesus,    having  finished  his   work,  entered  into  his  rest 

These,  and  a  thousand  other  like  glorious  things,  are  found 
in  the  sacred  scriptures,  describing  the  Lord  from  Hea- 
ven, coming  down  to  act  as  the  second  Adam  in  the  form 

*Isa.  ix.  6. 
16 


182  LECTURES  ON 

of  man,  to  whom  the  Spirit  was  not  given  by  measure;  but 
on  whom  that  Spirit  descended  in  bodily  shape. 

While  these  things  are  recorded  in  the  bible,  and  belong 
to  the  whole  history  of  God's  proceedings  with  men  since 
the  fall,  it  is  curious  to  observe  what  an  abundance  of  like 
things  may  be  gathered  from  the  heathen  world.  I  will  give 
you  a  few  of  them. 

"The  ancient  account  seems  to  be  very  true,  and  of  the 
primeval  philosophy,  that,  at  certain  fixed  times,  pure  and 
divine  powers,  for  the  good  of  men,  walk  on  the  earth,  de- 
scending from  heaven;  not  clothed  in  air,  as  Hesiod  speaks, 
but  having  assumed  bodies  similar  to  our  own,  and  having 
taken  upon  themselves  a  life  inferior  to  their  nature,  for  the 
sake  of  fellowship  with  us.*" 

"The  followers  of  Buddha  unanimously  declare,  that  his 
incarnation  in  the  womb  of  a  virgin  was  foretold  several 
thousand  years,  though  some  say,  only  one  thousand  before 
it  came  to  pass. 

"  It  is  declared,  in  the  Vicrama-Charitra,  that  the  birth  of 
a  divine  child,  from  a  virgin,  had  been  foretold  one  thousand 
years  before  it  happened;  nay,  some  say  two  thousand. 
The  time  of  his  birth  is  thus  ascertained  from  the  Lumarica- 
Chanda,  a  portion  of  the  Scanda-Purana.  When  three  thou- 
sand and  one  hundred  years  of  the  Cali-Yuga  are  elapsed: 
then  Saca  will  appear,  and  remove  wretchedness  and  misery 
from  t,he  world.     Saca  is  a  title  of  the  virgin-born  Buddha. 

"■  Whenever  the  deity  condescends  to  be  born  of  wo- 
man, the  person  is  one,  but  there  are  two  natures.  To  this 
distinction  we  must  carefully  attend,  in  order  to  reconcile 
many  seeming  contradictions  in  the  Puranas;  and  more 
particularly  so  with  respect  to  Vaivaswata  and  Satyavrata, 
who  are  acknowledged  to  be  but  one  person.  The  divine 
nature  is  an  emanation  of  Yishnou  in  his  character  of  the 
Sun;  and  Satyavrata  is  the  human  nature.  These  two  na- 
tures often  act  independently  of  each  other,  and  may  exist 
at  the  same  time  in  different  places."! 

"Virgil,  in  his  Pollio,  announces  the  approaching  birth 
of  an  extraordinary  child,  whom  he  decorates  with  all  the 
attributes  of  the  Messiah  of  the  Hebrews.  This  child  was 
to  be  the  high  offspring  of  the  gods,  the  great  seed  of  Jupi- 
ter.    When^Julius  Cesar  wished  to  crown  his  greatness  by 

*Faber's  Dispensations,  vol.  1.  p.  305. 

•fFaber's  Dispensations,  vol.  i.  pp.  311—12.,  who  refers  to  Asiatic 
Researches,  vol.  x.  pp.  27—46,  47,  and  vol.  vi.  p.  479. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  183 

assuming  the  title  of  a  king,  one  of  his  creatures  adduced 
a  prediction  from  the  books  of  the  Sibyl  ;  in  which  it  was 
foretold,  that  a  prince  was  to  arise  about  that  time,  whose 
monarchy  should  be  universal,  and  whose  government 
would  be  essential  to  the  happiness  of  the  world.  Cicero 
freely  admits  that  the  prophecy  in  question,  was  actually  to 
be  found  in  the  sibylline  oracles."* 

Much  more  might  be  readily  advanced,  and  of  the  same 
general  character,  from  the  mythology  of  the  heathen.  The 
simple  fact,  however,  when  it  is  thus  proved,  answers  my 
purpose.  And  the  whole  view  shows,  that  it  was  God  him- 
self who  assumed  a  human  form,  and  descended  to  bless 
mankind,  as  their  saviour.  And  if  there  has  been  no  evi- 
dence that  the  second  person  of  the  trinity,  as  he  has  been 
termed,  thus  descended,  there  has  been  none  to  evince 
that  the  Saviour,  in  his  divine  character  was  any  thing  less 
than  the  Supreme  God  himself;  nor  can  any  one,  who  has 
given  himself  time  to  understand  the  theory  I  have  ad- 
vanced, find  the  least  room  to  charge  it  with  a  tendency, 
either  to  tritheism,  or  to  any  of  the  popular  forms  in  which 
unitarianism  has  in  vain  solicited  the  credence  of  mankind. 
And  with  this  confidence,  I  leave  the  argument  in  your 
hands. 

But  the  necessities  of  human  nature,  under  the  deterio- 
rating consequences  of  Adam's  sin,  called  for  more  than  a 
personal  manifestation  of  Jehovah.  Adam  had  not  only  in- 
troduced sin  and  death  into  the  world,  but  he  had  forfeited 
his  official  character  as  their  social  head  ;  and  defrauded  his 
children  of  that  "ministration  of  righteousness,"  which  in 
his  official  character,  and  for  their  benefit,  he  should  have 
wrought  out.  It  was  intended  that  his  righteousness,  by  secur- 
ing temporal  life,  and  all  its  accompanying  blessings,  should 
exhibit  to  his  children  the  connexion  between  righteousness 
and  life,  in  view  of  their  personal  responsibility  to  the  law 
"written  on  their  hearts."  Such  an  exhibition  was  indis- 
pensably necessary,  considering  the  peculiarity  of  the  hu- 
man constitution  ;  or  that  the  spirit  of  man  acquires  its  ideas 
through  the  medium  of  the  bodily  senses.  Of  the  influence 
of  such  official  character  and  action,  we  have  ample  and 
melancholy  proof  in  the  general  depravity  of  mankind.  A 
remedial  scheme  must  take  up  this  great  law  of  human  na- 
ture,  and   the   mediator   must  furnish  this  "ministration  of 

*  See  Faber's  Horae  Mosaicae,  vol.  i.  pp.  73—80.  Horseley's  Diss, 
on  Heathen  Prophecies,  pp.  15 — 29. 


184  LECTURES  ON 

of  righteousness."  Accordingly  God  assumes  the  form  of 
a.  servant,  was  found  in  the  fashion  of  a.  man;  and,  being 
made  under  the  law,  he  became  obedient  unto  death,  that 
he  might  "bring  in  everlasting  righteousness."* 

For  this  general  object,  he  became  "the  seed  of  the  woman," 
thus  wearing  the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh  :  but  as  he  had  no 
earthly  father,  a  body  being  prepared  for  him  by  Jehovah, 
who  is  hence  called  his  heavenly  Father,  he  had  not  sinful 
flesh.  The  end  designed  to  be  accomplished,  by  all  this 
careful  preparation  of  his  exterior  form,  was,  that  he  might 
be  an  official  agent,  or  a  social  head,  such  as  the  law  had 
made  Adam.  For  this  reason  he  was,  as  Adam  was,  emphati- 
cally the  Son  of  God  ;  though  different  from  Adam  in  this, 
that  he  (the  man  Christ)  was  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God. 
Hence  he  is  called  the  second  Adam,  and  is  declared  supe- 
rior to  Adam,  in  that  he  was  a  quickening  spirit ;  having  all 
life  in  himself  as  given  to  him  by  his  Father.  Thus  Adam 
is  declared  to  be  the  figure  of  Christ :  and  the  principle  of 
official  action  is  distinctly  defined  to  be,  that, — as  in  Adam 
all  die,  so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive;  or  that, — ''as 
by  the  offence  of  one  judgment  came  upon  all  men  to  condem- 
nation ;  even  so  by  the  righteousness  of  one  the  free  gift  came 
upon  all  men  unto  justification  of  life."  Adam  had  forfeited 
his  official  dignity;  a  chasm  was  accordingly  created,  which 
under  a  remedial  system,  developed  on  the  same  principle 
with  the  original  institute,  must  be  filled  up,  either  by  re- 
storing that  lost  dignity  to  Adam,  or  conferring  it  on  another. 
It  was  conferred  on  another,  Adam  having  become  utterly 
incompetent,  as  the  formation  of  Christ's  human  body  abun- 
dantly manifests  ;  and  therefore  Christ  is  introduced  as  the 
second  Adam. 

I  know  not  whether  any  of  you  may  have  adopted  the 
swedenborgian  idea,  that  God  had  assumed  simply  a  human 
body,  without  having  a  human  spirit  ;t  or  whether  you  might 
not  suppose  that  the  argument,  as  far  as  it  has  been  pursued, 
involves  that  idea.  It  forms,  however,  no  part  of  my  specu- 
lations. Christ  is  most  unequivocally  declared  to  be  a  man, 
and  is  in  so  many  words,  called  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 
"There  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God 
and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus."t — He  hath  appointed 
a  day,  in  the  which  he  will  judge  the  world  in  righte- 
ousness, by  that  man  whom  he  hath  ordained  :"§  He  could 

•Danl.  ix.  24. 

fl  use  the  term  spirit  for  the  intellectual  part  of  man, 

JITim.  ii.  5.  §  Acts  xyii   31. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  185 

not  be  a  man,  if  he  had  not  a  human  spirit ;  he  could  not 
speak  of  himself,  separate  from  the  Father,  as  he  does,  if  he 
had  no  human  spirit ;  his  historians  could  not  portray  the 
extending  operations  of  his  mind,  growing  in  wisdom  as  he 
advanced  to  manhood,  as  they  do  ;  nor  could  he  refer  to 
his  own  distinct  intellectual  operations,  as  he  does,  when 
he  says, — "As  I  hear  I  judge," — or  when  he  says,  "  Of 
that  day  and  hour  knoweth  no  man,  no,  not  the  angels 
which  are  in  heaven,  neither  the  Son,"  if  he  had  no  human 
spirit ;  nor  could  he  be  the  second  Adam,  a  social  head  to 
the  human  family,  if  he  had  no  human  spirit. 

But  on  the  supposition  that  our  intellectual  spirits  are 
derived  from  our  earthly  parent,  how  could  Christ  be  a  man 
at  all  ?  Following  up  the  subject  physiologically  from  its 
beginnings  in  other  parts  of  the  material  world,  we  have 
nothing  more  called  for  than  a  philosophical  view  of  a  more 
intricate  or  complex  material  organization  ;  and  theological- 
ly, nothing  else  is  required,  but  to  show  how  he  could  have 
human  flesh,  without  having  sinful  flesh.  If  there  should 
exist  in  the  material  world  any  thing  analogous  to  that 
which  is  displayed  in  the  intellectual  world,  and  which  con- 
stitutes the  man  the  legal,  or  official,  head  ;  then  this  whole 
matter  is  fairly  and  fully  met  by  the  declaration,  that  Christ 
was"  the  seed  of  the  woman."  Hence  it  is,  that  in  speak- 
ing of  his  human  descent,  his  spirit  is  not  referred  to  at  all; 
but  as  his  spirit  like  all  other  human  spirits,  was  derived  direct- 
ly from  God,  the  peculiarity  of  his  body  turns  upon  the  fact 
that  it  was  not  sinful  flesh  : — "That  holy  thing  which  shall  be 
born  of  thee,  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God."  The 
question  in  this  connexion,  never  involves  his  spirit; 
and  simply  because  unholiness  of  spirit  is  a  matter  be- 
longing to  individual  action  and  personal  responsibility. 
The  singular  manner  in  which  the  subject  is  represented 
in  the  scriptures,  together  with  an  analogy  between  the 
material  and  intellectual  world,  to  which  I  have  already  al- 
luded, is  the  basis  of  my  idea.  I  know  not  how  physiolo- 
gists in  general  may  estimaie  it;  but  they  must  pardon  me, 
if  I  think  of  my  bible  more  highly  than  I  do  of  their  conjec- 
tures ;  and  refer  them  to  its  pages,  rather  than  to  their  systems. 

The  theology  of  the  world  is  never  very  widely  different 

from  its  philosophy.     How  should  it  be,  when  ecclesiastical 

men  occupy   the  chairs  of  science,   and  literary  men  alone 

are   considered  competent  to  occupy  our  pulpits?      Multi- 

16* 


186  LECTURES  ON 

tudes  may  affect  to  laugh  at  philosophy;  but  in  spite  of  them 
philosophy  will  control  their  theology,  or  their  theology  will 
control  their  philosophy.  It  must  be  so.  For  both  are  con- 
cerned with  God's  works.  Creation  and  the  bible  are  like  to 
each  other.  The  heavens  and  the  earth,  conspire  with  the 
scriptures,  to  declare  the  glory  of  God.  A  revolution 
occurring  in  the  one,  will  bring  necessarily  a  revolution  in 
the  other;  or  if  philosophy  should  advance,  while  moral  sci- 
ence still  doles  out  the  prejudices  and  dogmas  of  past  ages, 
it  is  no  wonder  that  an  uproar  should  be  heard,  and  that 
theologians  should  tremble  under  their  own  prognostics  of 
growing  infidelity. — But  my  object  was,,  as  to  the  subject  be- 
fore us,  to  refer  physiologists  to  the  bible :  for  the  bible  is 
strictly  philosophical,  whatever  the  systems  of  its  admirers 
may  be. 

Thus  qualified,  or  his  mediatorial  person  being  thus  con- 
stituted, the  redeemer  enters  on  his  benevolent  enterprise. 
His  apostolic  character  had  been  prefigured  by  that  of  Moses,, 
who  "was  faithful  in  all  God's  house  :"  or,  who  was  not 
merely  a  prophet,  but  concentred  all  authority  in  his  own 
commission  ;  and  whose  influence  was  felt  in  every  part  ofthe 
ecclesiastical  establishment,  that  he  was  employed  to  erect. 
Hence  it  is  said,  when  Jehovah  would  illustrate  his  official 
importance, — "With  him  will  I  speak  mouth  to  mouth,  even 
apparently,  and  not  in  dark  speeches;  and  the  similitude  of 
the  Lord  shall  he  behold."*  So  Christ. — Of  him  it  is  saidr 
"No  man  hath  seen  God :  the  only  begotten  Son,  which  is 
in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  he  hath  declared  him  ;"  and  he 
"was  faithful  to  him  that  appointed  him,  as  also  Moses  was." 
But  then  Christ  Jesus,  "was  counted  worthy  of  more  glory 
than  Moses,  inasmuch  as  he  who  hath  bmlded  the  house  hath 
more  honor  than  the  house."  The  creator  hath  more  glory  than 
the  creature.  "For  every  house  is  builded  by  some  man; 
but  he  that  built  all  things  is  God.  And  Moses  verily  was 
faithful  in  all  his  house  as  a  servant  ; — but  Christ  as  a 
son  over  hts  own  HOusE."t  Hence  Jehovah  says  to  him — 
"  Thy  throne,  O  God,  is  for  ever  and  ever: — Thou,  Lord, 
in  the  beginning  hast  laid  the  foundation  of  the  earth,  and 
the  heavens  are  the  works  of  thy  hand."  As  the  "appointed 
hetr  of  all  things,  by  whom  the  worlds  were  made,"  he  en- 
ters on  his  remedial  embassy — the  brightness  of  glory,  and 
the  exact  image  of  God's  person — (substance)  or  the  char- 
•  Num.  xii.  8.  t  Heb.  iii.  2—6. 


foOBAL  GOVERNMENT.  1S7 

ActeR,  the  image,  the  visible  representation  of  Jehovah  in 

THE  FORM   OF   GOD.* 

In  this  official  character,  which  is  so  general,  all  authority, 
which  in  a  system  of  types  has  been  parcelled  out  among 
many  individuals,  devolves  upon  the  Son  alone.  Hence,  in 
the  discharge  of  his  mediatorial  work,  he  is  Prophet,  Priest, 
and  King.  Summing  up  all  as  a  social  head  of  the 
race,  he  was  more  gloriously  prefigured  by  Ai>am  : — He  de- 
clares his  father  to  the  human  family;  on  his  righteousness 
the  whole  divine  administration  is  conducted;  and  he  ex- 
ercises dominion  over  the  whole  system.  Rising  superior 
to  Adam,  and  carrying  out  a  remedial  principle  commensu- 
rate with  the  whole  exigency  which  had  occurred,  he  is  "  the 
image  of  the  invisible  God" — a  personal  manifestation  of 
Jehovah  htmself,  such  as  had  been  originally  afforded  when 
man  was  created, — the  divine  lord,  the  Lord  from  heaven. 
And  all  is  sustained  in  his  person  and  work,  with  the  most 
perfect  consistency,  and  in  a  manner  precisely  suited  to  our 
present  character  and  condition.  Hence  he  speaks  of  him- 
self in  the  following  language: — "The  son  can  do  nothing 
of  himself,  but  what  he  seeth  the  father  do:  for  what  things 
soever  he  doeth,  these  also  doth  the  son  likewise.  For  the 
father  loveth  the  son,  and  showeth  him  all  things  that 
himself  doth.  For  as  the  father  raiseth  up  the  dead,  and 
quickeneth  them,  even  so  the  son  quickeneth  whom  he  will. 
For  the  father  judgeth  no  man,  but  hath  committed  all 
judgment  unto  the  son  :  that  all  men  should  honor  the 
son,  even  as  they  honor  the  father.     He  that  honoreth 

*  The  term  Person,  is  the  latin  word  persona  anglicised  :  which  in 
its  primary  use  was  employed  to  signify  a  mask  worn  by  actors  on  the 
stage  ;  and  which  was  the  apparent,  visible  form,  that  they  assumed  for 
certain  purposes.  The  term  substance,  which  some  prefer,  has  the 
same  kind  of  relative  signification.  It  is  the  outward  form,  in  which 
certain  qualities,  which  would  otherwise  be,  to  us,  mere  abstract  sub- 
jects, and  entirely  above  our  perceptions,  are  expressed  to,  or  can  be 
recognised  by  us.  If  this  criticism  be  correct,  the  original  term  may 
very  properly  be  translated,  either  person  or  substance,  according  to 
the  nature  of  the  subject  which  it  is  intended  to  set  forth.  In  the  elev- 
enth chapter,  faith  may  be  represented  as  the  substance  of  things 
hoped  for  :  and  here  Christ  may  be  declared  to  be  the  exact  image  of  his 
person,  with  perfect  accuracy.  But  in  technical  theology,  term  per- 
son has  another  meaning,  which  the  theologians  themselves  cannot  de- 
fine ; — something  which  is  awfully  sacred  and  deeply  mysterious  ;  and 
in  its  application  to  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  it  approaches  so  near 
to  tritheism  in  the  apprehension  of  many ,  that  they  run  to  the  extreme, 
directly  opposite  to  that  they  wish  to  avoid. 


188  LECTURES  ON 

not   the   sox,  honoreth  not  the  father  which   hath  sent 

HIM."* 

I  know  not  how  to  speak  of  the  beloved  saviour,  with 
more  heavenly  conceptions,  in  distincter  terms,  or  in  loftier 
phrase.  The  ideas  and  language  have  alike  been  taken 
from  the  scriptures,  and  are  utterly  inadmissible  in  a  de- 
scription of  a  mere  creature,  or  of  any  one  less  than  God 
himself.  At  the  same  time,  I  cannot  imagine  how  a  re- 
medial system,  intended  to  relieve  the  described  and  the 
visible  condition  of  mankind,  so  far  as  the  official  character 
of  the  mediator  is  concerned,  should  be  presented  in  more 
suitable  form,  or  of  more  proportionate  dimensions. 

Some  difficulties  are  supposed  yet  to  exist,  which,  it  has 
been  conceived,  are  hard  to  remove  on  any  hypothesis. 
Christ,  it  is  said,  prays  to  his  father  ; — now  how  can 
this  be  consistent  with  the  idea  of  his  divinity  ?— But  why 
should  he  not  pray  to  his  Father?  May  not  the  man  Christ 
Jesus  pray  to  his  father  ?  Even  in  view  of  the  mediatorial 
personage,  of  which  both  natures  are  affirmed,  where  is  the 
alleged  impropriety  ?  When  David  calls  upon  his  own  soul 
to  bless  the  Lord,  does  he  not  use  a  phrase  of  which  similar 
impropriety  might  be,  and  yet  is  not,  asserted? — But  above 
all,  does  it  not  belong  to  his  official  work  to  fulfil  all  right- 
eousness ;  and  may  I  not  explain  his  prayer,  as  he  explained 
his  baptism  to  his  forerunner?  Might  you  not  as  well  ask 
me,  why  he  did  any  thing  in  human  nature,  or  why  he  was 
made  like  unto  his  brethren  in  all  things,  and  why  he  learned 
obedience  by  the  things  which  he  suffered  ?  Or  rather,  may 
I  not  ask  any  one  who  objects  to  his  divinity,  why  he  should 
not  pray,  when  all  round  his  humanity  is  unhesitatingly  ad- 
mitted ? 

But  then,  it  will  be  replied,  his  prayer  was  so  peculiar : 
for  he  said  "Father,  glorify  thou  me,  with  thine  own  self, 
with  the  glory  which  I  had  with  thee,  before  the  world  was." 
— Well  what  was  this  glory  ?  Was  it  not.  that  which  be- 
longed to  him  as  the  Lord,  seated  on  the  throne,  having 
all  power,  and  governing  all  things?  Was  it  not  God,  as 
manifested  in  the  form  of  God,  who  was  recognized  as  Lord  ; 
because,  that  from  his  constitution,  man  could  not  perceive 
pure  spirit  ?  And  did  he  not,  as  thus  manifested  the  Lord, 
lay  aside,  so  far  as  sinful  man  is  concerned,  the  form  of  God, 
and  take  the  form  of  man?  Does  he  not  pray  then,  that  his 
Father  would  clothe  him  with  that  glory,  confer  upon  him 

*  John  v.  19,  23. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  189 

that  power,  and  demonstrate  him  as  entrusted  with  that  lord- 
ship, which  men  were  thus  originally  called  to  recognize  ? 
And  is  not  this  identity  every  where  asserted  ?  Was  it  not  the 
Word,  which  was  in  the  beginning  with  God,  and  which 
was  God,  that  was  afterwards  made  flesh  ? 

Again.  We  have  had  frequent  opportunities  of  noticing 
the  peculiar  force  of  the  scriptural  term  name,  as  applied  to 
God  : — the  name  Jehovah  ;  the  name  Almighty  God  ;  the 
name  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost ;  my  name  is  in  him  :  ac- 
cordingly, in  connexion  with  the  prayer  under  considera- 
tion, he  remarks, — "I  have  manifested  thy  name  unto  the 
men  which  thou  gavest  me."  And  elsewhere  he  prays, — 
"Father  glorify  thy  name"*  The  prayer  corresponds  with 
the  subsequent  fact,  which  Peter  expressed  with  so 
much  point  and  beauty,  when  he  said, — "Let  all  the  house 
of  Israel  know  assuredly,  that  God  hath  made  that  same  Je- 
sus, whom  ye  have  crucified,  both  Lord  and  Christ."  And 
as  such,  he  is  set  forth,  according  to  his  prayer,  when  in  his 
church,  and  at  his  altars,  men  are  baptized  "in  the  name  of 
Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost. — You  might  then  as  well  ask 
me,  why  he  prayed  at  all  ? 

In  what  way,  it  will  be  farther  demanded,  does  Christ  sit 
at  the  right  hand  of  Jehovah,  on  the  throne  of  heaven? — 
In  reply  to  this  question,  I  would  ask  you  to  remember,  that 
when  God  was  originally  manifested  in  the  form  of  God,  he 
was  so  manifested  both  to  angels  and  men.  This  view  of 
our  subject,  you  recollect,  was  distinctly  stated  in  the  argu- 
ment on  the  Elohim,  or  trinity:  and  may  now  be  fully  im- 
pressed on  your  mind  by  quoting  the  declaration  of  our  re- 
deemer, concerning  angels: — "They  do  always,"  said  he, 
Cibehold  the  face  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven."  All 
the  language  on  the  subject,  deserves  particular  attention. — 
"The  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord,  sit  thou,  on  my  right  hand, 
until  /make  thine  enemies  thy  footstool." — "The  Son,  hav- 
ing by  himself  purged  our  sins,  sat  down  on  the  right  hand  of 
the  Majesty  on  high." — He  said  himself — "ye  shall  see  the 
Son  of  man  sitting  on  the  right  hand  of  power:" — "the 
right  hand  of  the  power  of  God." — "It  is  manifest  that  he 
is  excepted,  who  did  put  all  things  under  him." — At  first 
there  was  a  single  personal  manifestation  of  God,  to  occupy 
the  throne  as  Lord.  But  a  second  personal  manifestation 
has  become  necessary,  and  he,  who  thus  appears,  is  made 
both  Lord  and  Christ.     As  Lord   and  Christ  this  second 

*Johnxii.  28. 


190  LECTURES  ON 

personal  manifestation  is  now  exhibited  on  the  throne,  and 
on  the  right  hand  of  the  original  manifestation.  Hence  Da- 
vid's language. — The  Lord,  said  unto  my  Lord  ;  and  hence 
the  position  occupied  is  described  as  the  right  hand  of  Ma- 
jesty, or  the  personal  dignity  and  glorious  display  of  God, 
as  manifested  to  his  c rent ures.  Or,  Jehovah  having,  for  cer- 
tain purposes,  taken  the  form  of  man,  in  that  form  has  gone 
to  the  throne;  which  throne  he  had  from  the  beginning  oc- 
cupied in  the  form  of  God, — having  assumed  that  form  for 
the  government  of  his  creatures.  As  Lord  in  the  mediato- 
rial form,  he  sits  down  on  the  right  hand  of  the  previous 
exhibition  he  had  made  of  himself,  as  Lord  in  the  form  of 
God. 

This  double  exhibition,  each  having  its  own  distinct  offi- 
cial relations,  and  sustaining  those  relations  with  the  most 
exact,  consistency,  shall  continue,  the  luminous,  but  varied, 
manifestations  of  godhead,  while  the  necessity  in  which 
they  originated  shall  remain.  But  a  change  is  contempla- 
ted ;  for  our  mediatorial  Lord  is  invited  to  the  throne  un- 
til— until  all  his  enemies  are  put  under  his  feet;  thus  long, 
says  Paul, — please  turn  to  the  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians,* 
thus  long  "he  must  reign.  Then  cometh  the  end,  when 
he  shall  have  put  down  all  rule,  and  all  authority,  and  pow- 
er. The  purposes  of  the  mediatorial  manifestation,  for 
which  the  Word  divested  himself  of  the  form  of  God,  and 
took  the  form  of  man,  shall  then  be  all  accomplished:— 
which  being  done,  the  end  has  come.  What  shall  occur 
then,  when,  the  object  of  this  mediatorial  manifestation  be- 
ing secured,  its  necessity  ceases  ;  as  we  shall  be  qualified  to 
do,  that,  which  by  the  fall  we  are  incompetent  to  do — i.  e. 
to  see  God  as  he  is  ?  The  apostle  informs  us  that  Christ 
shall  then  deliver  up  the  kingdom  to  God,  even  the  Father, 
— the  everlasting  Father.  Of  course  then  the  mediator 
reigns  no  longer,  or  is  no  longer  Lord.  The  Word,  who 
had  assumed  the  form  of  man  while  we  were  unable  to  see 
God,  now  reassumes  the  form  of  God,  when  we  are  made 
competent  to  see  God  ;  and  instead  of  a  manifestation  in 
the  form  of  man,  God  is  exhibited,  or  God  manifested  in  the 
form  of  God,  or,  as  it  was  in  the  beginning,  the  Word 
which  was  with  God,  and  which  was  God,  is  all  and  in 
all. — The  Father  dwelleth  in  the  Word. 

What   then  becomes  of  the  man,  Christ  Jesus  ?     Why 
adds  the  apostle, — Then  shall  the  Son, — then  shall  the  Son 

•  1  Cor.  xv.  24—28. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  191 

also, — then  shall  the  Son  also  himself,  be  subject  to  htm 
who  put  all  things  under  him,  and  who  manifestly  was  ex- 
cepted, when  all  things  were  thus  put  under  him.  The  con- 
sequence of  this  subjection  of  the  Son,  is  that  God  is  all 
and  in  all. — The  Son,  is  here  spoken  of,  as  he,  who  says 
of  himself — "I  can  of  mine  own  self  do  nothing:" — "the 
words  that  I  speak  unto  you,  I  speak  not  of  myself ;  but  the 
Father  that  dwelleth  in  me,  he  doeth  the  works."  The  dis- 
tinction then  between  the  Father  and  the  Son  is  thus  most 
unequivocally  asserted  ;  and  when  the  end  cometh,  that  dis- 
tinction shall  be  visibly  displayed,  as  it  is  not  now ;  for  the 
Son  is  at  present  on  the  throne.  But  then  the  distinction 
shall  be  visible  ;  for  God,  even  the  Father,  shall  be  all  and  in 
all,  while  the  Son  himself  shall  be  subject. 

But  still,  it  maybe  inquired,  what  shall  be  the  future  rela- 
tions of  the  Son  ? — All  things  are  brought  back  to  their  ori- 
ginal condition  of  government,  when  the  mediatorial  king- 
dom is  at  an  end  ;  or  they  shall  be  consummated  as  they 
would  have  been,  if  Adam  had  not  eaten  the  forbidden  fruit. 
The  human  family,  as  they  shall  then  appear  in  heaven,  the 
righteous  who  shall  go  away  into  everlasting  life,  shall  be 
recognized,  in  their  own  peculiar  association.  But  where 
is  their  Head?  Adam  had  forfeited  that  dignity  by  trans- 
gression. On  whom  then  should  it  devolve,  but  on  th  esE- 
cond  Adam,  who  had  been  their  redeemer?  Hence  Paul 
says,  when  speaking  of  our  family  organization; — "I  would 
have  you  know,  that  the  head  of  every  man  is  Christ;  and 
the  head  of  the  woman  is  the  man;  and  the  head  of  Christ 
is  God."* 

If  my  remarks  be  somewhat  more  bold  than  those  which 
you  have  been  accustomed  to  hear,  and  seem  to  convert 
that  which  you  have  been  wont  to  consider  as  an  inscru- 
table mystery,  into  a  very  plain  matter ;  perhaps  you  may 
feel  your  mind  perfectly  reconciled,  by  recollecting,  that  he 
who  laid  aside  the  form  of  God,  so  far  as  man  is  concerned, 
while  yet,  in  that  form,  he  retained  other  relations,  may  also 
lay  aside  the  form  of  man,  while  the  relations  of  that  form  of 
man,  or  of  the  man,  Christ  Jesus,  and  as  such,  are  in  no  way 
affected.  If  not,  then  it  may  not  be  amiss  for  you  to  turn 
to  the  commentators,!  and  observe  their  ideas  and  their  per- 
plexity. They  will  tell  you,  that  Christ  as  man,  like  the 
saints  and  angels,  will  be  subject  to  the  Father;  and  then 

*lCor.  xi.  3.     1  Eph.  v.  23. 

f  Scott,  Henry,  Whitby,  McKnight,  Locke,  Guyse. 


192  LD  IT  RES  OX 

enter  into  collision  with  '-'the  Brians,  who  affirm,  that  if  this 
had  been  the  apostle's  meaning,  he  would  have  said,  then 
shall  even  Jesus  himself  be  subjected."  But  they  think  the 
whole  argument  of  the  apostle  to  be  exceedingly  obscure. 
And  no  wonder  ;  for  they  go  on  to  say,  that — the  Father, 
Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  shall  in  union  govern  all  things  :  and  that 
notwithstanding  the  apostle  says  that  the  Son  shall  be  sub- 
ject. Their  error  lies  in  their  idea,  that  the  distinction  of 
Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  is  in  godhead  itself;  which 
idea,  from  the  very  nature  of  the  case,  cannot  be  correct. 
The  distinction  exists  in  the  manifestation  which  God 
makes  of  himself.  Their  doctrine  is  unquestionably  main- 
tained from  the  best  motives,  and  with  the  view  of  elucida- 
ting the  divinity  and  personality,  which,  in  the  scriptures, 
are  indubitably  predicated  of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 
But  those  points  can  be  clearly  set  forth  without  their  doc- 
trine ;  as  may  appear  very  intelligibly  to  any  mind  that  has 
candor  enough,  and  will  take  time  enough,  to  consider  the 
subject.  On  the  principle  of  interpretation  adopted  in  these 
lectures,  the  passage  is  as  simple,  and  as  expressive,  as  any 
other  in  the  bible. 

I  have  now  stated  what  I  believe  to  be  the  scriptural  ex- 
hibition of  this  momentous  subject.  If  I  have  departed 
from  the  popular  creed,  as  it  has  been  transmitted  to  us 
from  the  third  and  fourth  centuries,  my  remarks  are  equally 
remote  from  any  alliance  with  those  heretical  speculations, 
bv  which  that  creed  has  been  assailed.  I  conceive,  as  to 
their  relative  importance,  that  the  creed  has  rendered  a 
plain  and  glorious  subject  altogether  unintelligible; — its  au- 
thors and  advocates  ha\e  declared  that  they  are  unable  to 
explain  the  mystery  they  assert,  and  hold  too  sacred  for  any 
thing  but  impiety  to  question.  The  reputed  heresies,  on 
the  other  hand,  rob  the  subject  of  all  its  glory,  and  dip  deep- 
er into  mystery  than  the  systems  which  they  censure  as  irra- 
tional and  illiberal.  The  pretensions  which  some  so  confi- 
dentlv  make  to  rational  Christianity,  are  about  as  conceited 
as  they  are  adventurous. 

Most  solemnly  do  I  call  upon  you  to  ponder  what  I  have 
said.  If  the  views  I  have  offered  to  your  consideration,  be 
correct,  it  is  worth  your  while  to  ascertain  the  fact.  I  have 
appealed  to  scriptural  texts,  which  you  may  all  read,  for  your-* 
selves.  I  have  stated  things,  concerning  the  necessities 
and  operations  of  human  nature,  of  which  you  are  all  com- 
petent judges.     I  have  summoned  you  into  the  Holiest  of 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  1 93 

all,  whither  you  may  all  come  through  the  rent  veil  of  the 
redeemer's  flesh,  and  on  bended  knee  ask  God  for  his  Spi- 
rit to  teach  you.  I  have  waked  up  your  excitement  on  a 
subject,  which  brought  down  the  heavenly  host  to  the  plains 
of  Bethlehem,  and  inspired  them  to  sing — "Glory  to  God  in 
the  Highest,  peace  on  earth,  and  good  will  towards  men : 
— "For  unto  you  is  born  this  day,  in  the  city  of  David,  a 
Saviour,  which  is  Christ  the  Lord." — And  now  may  God 
Almighty,  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  abundantly  bless 
you ;  and  bring  you,  in  that  day  of  glory,  when  the  Son 
shall  deliver  up  the  kingdom  to  the  Father,  to  shout  with 
his  redeemed, 

Death  is  swallowed  up  in  victory. 


lecture  IX. 

Mediatorial  work, — Manifestation  of  God. — Righteousness  of 
the  Law,  fulfilled  by  the  second  Adam. — Reasons  for  the  death 
of  Christ. — Principles  of  the  divine  administration. — The 
reconciled  man. — Pardon  of  actual  transgressions. — Term 
Atonement. 

In  proceeding  to  consider  the  work  of  our  mediatorial 
prince,  whom  our  last  lecture  introduced  to  view,  surround- 
ed by  all  the  glory  of  his  official  relations,  two  or  three  things 
must  be  called  up  to  our  recollection.  The  work  of  crea- 
tion, and  that  of  reconciliation,  are  presented  in  the  scrip- 
tures as  parallel  to  each  other.  Jesus  has  finished,  "and 
ceased  from,  his  own  works,  as  God  did  from  his,"  and  has 
entered  into  his  rest.  While  such  is  the  principle  on  which 
Jehovah  acts  in  both  cases,  each  work  will  of  course  corres- 
pond with  the  character  of  the  human  mind,(or  with  the  con- 
stitution of  the  human  being.  That  is, — As  men  get  their 
ideas  by  means  of  their  external,  or  bodily  senses,  the  divine 
operations  intended  for  their  instruction,  must  be  an  exterior 
display  suited  to  such  powers  of  perception.  To  meet  these 
powers  of  perception,  God  at  first  assumed  personal  form, 
and  exhibited  himself  by  means  of  the  material  system  which 
he  had  created.  And  now,  when  the  outward  manifestation, 
originally  made,  has  become  insufficient,  or  inappropriate, 
in  consequence  of  the  baneful,  and  wide  spreading,  influ- 
ence of  Adam's  sin  ;  a  second  manifestation  is  afforded,  of 
the  same  general  character,  and  precisely  suited  to  the  pre- 
17 


194  LECTURES  ON 

sent  condition   of  infirmity    in   which  mankind    are  found. 
Compare  the  following  biblical  statements  : — 

As  to  the  first — "  That  which  may  be  known  of  God  is 
manifest  among  them ;  for  God  hath  showed  it  unto  them. 
For  the  invisible  things  of  him  from  the  creation  of  the 
world  are  clearly  seen,  being  understood  by  the  things  which 
are  made,  even  his  eternal  power  and  godhead." — "The 
heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament  show- 
eth  his  handy  work.  Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech,  and 
night  unto  night  showeth  knowledge,"  &-c.  &c. 

As  to  the  second — "  The  Word  was  made  flesh,  and  dwelt 
among  us." — "He  is  the  image  of  the  invisible  God." — 
"Faith  cometh  by  hearing,  and  hearing  by  the  word  of  God. 
How  shall  they  believe  in  him  of  whom  they  have  not  heard  ; 
and  how  shall  they  hear  without  a  preacher;  and  how  shall 
they  preach,  except  they  be  sent?" 

In  both  cases,  it  must  be  evident  to  every  one,  who  has 
patience  enough  to  look  at  that,  which  may,  perhaps,  be  dif- 
ferent from  his  early  impressions,  that  an  exhihition  is  af- 
forded to  the  outward  senses  of  men  ;  and  that  an  appeal, 
with  a  view  to  instruction,  conviction  and  intellectual  ac- 
tion, is  made  under  every  variety  of  suitable  and  appropriate 
form.  Then,  both  from  the  nature  of  man,  and  from  the 
uniform  mode  of  the  divine  operation,  as  well  as  from  the 
exposition  offered  of  the  thing  itself,  the  mediatorial  work 
mustbe  an  exterior  display.  "God  hath  set  his  Son  forth  to 
be  a  propitiation."  "Before  our  eyes  Jesus  Christ  hath  been 
evidently  set  forth,  crucified  among  us."  The  Spirit  takes 
of  the  things  which  are  Christ's,  and  shoivs  them  unto  us. 
He  comes  to  convince  the  world  of  sin,  of  righteousness  and 
of  judgment.  God  is  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto 
himself.  He  took  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  became  obe- 
dient unto  death.  In  all  things  he  was  made  like  unto  his 
brethren. 

Adopting  the  principle  thus  announced,  and  indeed  hav- 
ing no  alternative,  we  must  apply  that  principle  to  a  twofold 
view  of  the  mediatorial  work. 

Jehovah  makes  an  exhibition  of  himself.  The  glory 
of  God  is  shining  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  is  the 
brightness  of  glory,  and  the  exact  image  of  his  person.  No 
man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time  ;  the  only  begotten  Son 
which  isin  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  he  hath  declared  him. 
These,  and  a  multitude  of  such  like  phrases,  meet  the  bibli- 
— rv   where  in  the  sacred  volume.     And  as  he 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  195 

ponders  them,  his  spirit  is  charmed,  his  feelings  are  interest- 
ed, his  mind  is  elevated,  the  holy  things  of  the  most  High 
become  familiar, — beholding  the  glory  of  the  Lord  he  catches 
the  living  likeness,  and  is  changed  into  the  same  image  from 
glory  to  glory,  even  as  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord.  Thus  he 
is  found  at  last  reconciled. 

The  display,  which  Jehovah  intends  to  make  of  himself, 
is, — that  he  is  love.  "  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave 
his  only  begotten  Son. — In  this  God  commendeth  his  love, 
that  while  we  were  yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  us.  Herein 
is  love,  not  that  we  loved  God,  but  that  he  loved  us,  and  sent 
his  Son  to  be  the  propitiation  for  our  sins."  Every  where, 
and  in  every  thing — in  the  gospel  itself,  in  the  institutions 
of  the  gospel,  and  in  the  mediatorial  administration  under 
which  we  live,  he  is  seeking  to  attract  us  by  his  love.  How 
charming  are  the  overtures,  the  invitations,  the  offers,  the 
promises,  which  continually  strike  upon  our  ears  !  How  un- 
tiring and  attractive  his  forbearance!  How  excellent  and 
lovely  his  commands!  How  mild  and  well  intentioned  his 
fatherly  chastisements !  What  a  cloud  of  witnesses,  patri- 
archs, prophets  and  apostles,  holy  and  inspired,  parental 
and  fraternal,  domestic  and  ecclesiastical,  secular  and  spir- 
itual, has  he  gathered  around  us !  With  what  profound 
solicitude  he  expostulates,  entreats  or  forewarns  !  How 
graciously  he  condescends  to  send  his  Spirit,  that  he  maybe 
the  guardian  of  our  steps,  the  companion  of  our  walks,  and 
the  inmate  of  our  bosom!  The  very  angels  of  his  presence 
become  our  ministers,  encamp  around  our  dwellings,  and 
give  praise  for  our  redemption  ! 

There  is,  however,  no  view  in  which  his  goodness  appears 
more  conspicuous  or  surprising,  than  in  his  becoming  like 
ourselves,  and  learning  obedience  by  the  things  which  he 
suffered  ;  that,  being  tempted  in  all  points  like  as  we  are, 
he  might  be  able  to  succor  them  that  are  tempted.  Nothing 
is  left  undone,  that  could  serve  to  constitute  him  a  merciful 
and  faithful  high-priest.  His  sympathy  finishes  the  display, 
and  leaves  no  blessing  to  be  desired,  no  deficiency  to  be 
regretted.  Nothing  comes  near  it,  save  the  bright  glories 
which  illuminated  the  morning  of  the  creation,  which  called 
forth  the  sons  of  God  to  hymn  his  praise,  and  left  on  the  hu- 
man being  the  image  of  Jehovah-elohim. 

He  farther  designs  to  manifest  his  wisdom.  How  may  a 
sinner  be  reconciled  to  God,  is  a  question  which  none  but 


196  LECTURES  ON 

the  great  Creator  can  answer.  That  such  a  thing  might  be 
effected;  that  the  child  of  transgression  and  sorrow  might 
call  for  relief  on  the  God  of  love,  who  had  been  so  freely 
expending  the  treasures  of  his  goodness,  is  an  idea  which 
any  intelligent  being  might  readily  conceive.  But  in  what 
wav  such  a  magnificent  enterprise  should  be  achieved. — an 
enterprise  in  which  the  divine  glory  should  not  be  tarnished. 
in  which  hnman  nature  should  not  be  violated,  and  which 
should  be  commensurate  with  the  intermingling  systems  of 
matter  and  mind,  of  personal  and  social  responsibilities,  of 
human  and  angelic  agencies, — is  a  question  on  which  phi- 
losophers have  uttered  their  magniloquous  pretensions,  and 
infidel  men  have  affected  to  be  most  profoundly  wise.  But 
who  anions  them  has  ever  answered  the  troubled  spirit,  or 
relieved  the  burdened  conscience?  So  widely  have  they 
straved,  that  the  gospel  has  been  foolishness  to  some,  and  a 
stumbling  block  to  others;  and  their  most  deadly  hostility 
has  been  provoked,  when  the  doctrine  of  the  cross  has  un- 
folded itself  with  all  its  heavenly  principles;  or  has  drawn 
out  its  lines  as  a  perfect  parallel  to  those,  which  the  sen- 
tence of  condemnation  had  inscribed  on  the  nature  of  wan, 
and  the  earthly  habitation  which  had  been  given  him.  The 
adaptation  of  this  moral  mean  to  the  end  designed,  is  the 
display  of  divine  wisdom,  which  it  unfolds.  Like  the  exhi- 
bition' of  wisdom,  every  where  breaking  upon  our  view, 
when  we  contemplate  the  moral  or  intellectual  world,  where 
cause  and  effect  are  so  nicely  balanced,  and  where  the 
mightiest  intellect  o{  which  man  can  boast  may  expend  all 
its^power,  so  the  cross  of  the  Son  of  God  develops  the  wis- 
dom of  Jehovah.  And  wherever  it  comes,  and  is  appre- 
ciated according  to  its  own  intrinsic  worth,  it  never  fails  to 
elevate  human  character,  to  soothe  human  sorrow,  to  miti- 
gate human  evils,  and  to  call  forth,  in  their  greatest  luxu- 
riance, the  charities  of  human  life. 

But  the  last  remark,  by  asserting  the  efficiency  of  the  me- 
diatorial scheme,  suggests  it  to  our  consideration  as  an 
equal  manifestation  of  divine  power.  That  is,  the  cross  of 
Christ  is  the  power  of  God,  just  as  any  other  system  which 
he  may  have  set  up,  and  which  evolves  itself  in  a  series  of 
operative  causes  adequate  to  certain  effects,  is  the  power  of 
God:  or  as  his  providential  co-operation,  in  sustaining  his 
own  works,  is  the  power  of  God.  His  power,  in  this  con- 
nexion, is  not  a  single  omnipotent  cause,  throwing  away 
from  itself  all  secondary  agents,  or  becoming  so  isolated  in 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  197 

action,  as  to  disregard  the  influence  of  motive  on  the  human 
mind.  When  this  power  is  most  fully,  or  vividly,  expe- 
rienced, then  the  deepest  conviction  is  produced,  the  loftiest 
purposes  are  formed,  the  highest  intellectual  effort  is  made, 
the  greatest  amount  of  intelligence  is  communicated.  In 
this  view  the  mind  of  a  Paul,  or  the  heart  of  a  John,  the  ob- 
stinacy of  a  jew,  or  the  stupidity  of  a  pagan,  might  as  readily 
be  overcome.  And  thus  thousands  upon  thousands  have 
been  brought  to  live  in  heavenly  fellowship  with  their  great 
redeemer;  have  died  in  triumph,  and  joyfully  broken  away 
from  the  embrace  of  this  mortal  life,  to  inherit  the  fulness  of 
joy,  and  possess  the  everlasting  pleasures,  which  are  at 
God's  right  hand.  This  point,  however,  will  call  for  more 
elaborate  argument  in  a  subsequent  lecture. 

But  turning  from  these  primary  attributes  of  Jehovah,— 
goodness,  wisdom,  and  power, — another  question  is  started 
up,  which  involves  his  justice.  This  matter,  I  am  free  to 
confess, — as  indeed  from  the  preceding  argument  you 
might  very  readily  suppose,  strikes  me  in  a  very  different 
light,  from  that  in  which  you  commonly  hear  it  represented. 
When  I  hear  a  minister  of  the  God  of  love,  making  it  the 
grand  object  of  his  official  addresses,  to  throw  mankind  into 
convulsions,  by  exaggerating  the  terrors  of  the  Lord,  and 
measuring  his  success  by  the  nervous  excitement  he  pro- 
duces, my  heart  is  pained  within  me.  Such  a  ministerial 
onset  may  rouse  and  alarm  ;  and  addresses  so  violent  and 
harsh  may  suit  the  age  in  which  we  live  ;  but  the  end  must 
be  a  deterioration  of  christian  intelligence,  in  which  moral 
imbecility  and  gross  superstition,  as  they  commonly  do, 
shall  go  hand  in  hand.  How  often,  in  such  a  state  of 
things,  professed  moralists  are  heard,  in  the  same  breath,  to 
bless  God,  and  curse  men  made  in  the  similitude  of  God  ! 

Certainly  God  is  just.  It  would  be  insanity  to  question 
the  fact.  He  himself  has  set  forth  Jesus  Christ  to  be  a  pro- 
pitiation for  the  remission  of  sin,  that  he  might  be  just,  and 
the  justifier  of  him  who  believeth  in  Jesus.  But  what  is 
justice?  Is  God  not  just,  unless  he  be  cloihed  in  palsying 
,  terrors,  and  unless  his  administration  shall  be  set  off  in 
every  thing  that  makes  it  forbidding  and  overwhelming;  and 
that  when  the  cardinal  fact  in  the  history  of  his  operations 
is,  that  he  has  so  loved  the  world  as  to  give  his  only  begot- 
ten Son,  because  he  has  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  sin- 
ner? 

17* 


198  LECTURES  Off 

But  what,  I  ask  again,  is  justice?  Is  that,  which  is  right, 
not  just?  Is  that,  which  is  according  to  long  established 
law,  not  just.  Is  that,  which  fairly  considers  all  the  points 
of  equity,  that  may  be  presented,  not  just?  Or  is  justice  a 
sort  of  theological  cherubim,  surmounted  by  a  naming- 
sword,  which  forbids  a  poor,  trembling,  dying,  sinner  to  ap- 
proach the  offers  of  life;  until  a  sovereign  word,  whose 
principles  of  operation  no  mortal  man  can  scan,  removes  the 
unmeaning,  but  petrifying  symbol  ?  If  the  mediator  shall 
act  out  a  part  equal  to  that  which  Adam  acted;  if  he  shall 
kindly  or  equitably  regard  those  who  have  been  brought 
into  suffering  by  a  fault  not  their  own;  if  when  law  is  sus- 
tained, grace  should  seek,  according  to  its  excellent  nature, 
to  be  plenary,  and  even  exuberant,  in  its  provisions;  do 
men  object,  and  call  themselves  philosophers?  But  let  us 
go  out  into  this  discussion.  Adam,  says  Paul,  was  %.  figure 
of  Christ.     What  does  he  mean? 

It  has  been  very  explicitly  declared,  in  the  scriptures,  to 
be  indispensably  necessary,  that  the  redeemer  should  re- 
semble Adam.  There  can  be  no  resurrection  of  the  dead, 
if  Christ  be  not  risen:  "for  since  by  man  came  death,  by 
man  came  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  For  as  in  Adam 
all  die.  so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive."  "  Forasmuch 
as  the  children  were  partakers  of  flesh  and  blood,  he  also 
himself  likewise  took  part  of  the  same,  that  through  death 
he  might  destroy  him  that  had  the  power  of  death."  The 
nature  of  the  case  required  such  a  saviour, — one  that  should 
be  qualified  for  such  transactions.  Any  plan,  to  be  exe- 
cuted by  an  official  personage,  of  different  characteristics, 
would  not  be  in  good  keeping  with  the  system  that  had 
been  previously  established.  The  remedy,  in  such  a  case, 
should  not  have  been  proportioned  to  the  evil;  but  should 
be  either  inefficient  by  falling  below  the  evil,  or  destructive 
of  man's  free  agency,  by  rising  above  the  evil.  "  It  be- 
came him,  for  whom  all  things,  and  by  whom  are  all  things, 
in  bringing  many  sons  unto  glory,  to  make  the  captain  of 
their  salvation  perfect  through  sujferings."  And  hence  he 
himself  asked  his  sorrowing  disciples, — "Ought  not  Christ 
to  have  suffered  these  thins-- 

The  principle  of  official  operation  is  very  apparent  and 
distinct.  The  whole  case  presents  the  two  sides  of  a  legal 
instrument: — disobedience  and  penalty,  obedience  and  re- 
ward; or, — sin  and  death,  righteousness  and  life.  The  pro- 
blem involved  is  neither  difficult  nor  obscure:  and  the  deci- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  199 

sion  is  both  easy  and  safe.  If,  by  the  disobedience  of  our 
social  head,  death  has  been  introduced  into  our  world,  then 
by  the  obedience  of  another  social  head,  life  may  be  se- 
cured. The  sin  contemplated,  being  official  in  its  relations, 
and  personal  responsibility  having  been  preserved,  there  is 
nothing  at  all  unnatural  in  the  proposed  remedy.  No  phi- 
losophic moralist  can  offer  one  fair  objection;  as  no  reason 
can  be  assigned  why  righteousness  should  not  bring  life, 
under  the  operations  of  a  system  by  which  sin  brings  death. 
The  commentator,  who  stammers,  or  stumbles,  here,  must 
be  ignorant  of  the  first  elements  of  government,  and  could 
not  safely  be  trusted  with  any  legislative  or  judicial  interests, 
in  either  church  or  state,  however  conscientious,  or  well- 
intentioned,  he  might  be.  Every  thing  that  is  wise  and 
good,  lovely  and  fair,  would  wither  in  his  hands;  and  the 
whole  social  fabric  would  tumble  into  ruins  under  his  er- 
ratic and  wilting  policy.  The  difficulty  of  the  case  does 
not  arise  from  the  impossibility  of  ascertaining  any  compe- 
tent principle  of  relief,  but  in  the  selection  and  qualification 
of  the  agent.  Where  shall  he  be  found  ?  Who  can  under- 
take the  task  with  any  promise  of  success?  Answer  this, 
and  all  the  rest  is  plain  enough.  Provide  the  agent,  and 
neither  sceptic,  nor  theologian,  has  the  least  cause  to  demur 
as  to  the  character  of  the  commission ;  or  to  perplex  and 
puzzle  himself  about  any  new,  recondite,  or  mysterious 
operation,  to  which  such  an  agent  is  called.  An  official 
righteousness  bringing  in  life,  according  to  the  very  terms 
of  law,  is  the  moral  highway,  in  which  the  way-faring  man, 
though  a  fool,  need  not  err. 

Look  at  the  thing.  Adam's  sin  has  introduced  into  our 
world  "the  ministration  of  death"  and  condemnation.  He 
sinned,  in  violating  law,  and  death  followed,  to  the  whole 
extent  of  his  representative  character,  as  it  was  constituted 
by  law.  His  children  who  suffer  death  on  account  of  his 
sin,  did  not  commit  his  sin.  Yet  they  were  constituted  sin- 
ners, according  to  the  uniform  operation  of  political  govern- 
ment. On  the  mere  principle  of  personal  responsibility, 
which  summons  every  man  to  give  an  account  for  himself, 
such  an  issue  could  not  have  occurred.  Though  by  the  is- 
sue, as  it  has  transpired  under  social  responsibility;  he  has 
received  a  very  important  and  salutary  lesson,  which,  in  its 
application  to  himself,  would  teach  him,  that  his  personal 
sin  would  finally  involve  him  in  personal  condemnation. — 
And   now,  even   at  this  present  day,  when  men  affect  to 


200  LECTURES  ON 

doubt  the  inspiration  of  the  scriptures,  and  might  fondly 
imagine  that  divine  mercy  is  too  great  to  condemn  them,  on 
account  of  their  personal  sin;  they  may  turn  to  the  inspired 
volume  of  nature,  on  whose  glories  they  descant  with  so 
much  energy  and  excitement,  and  learn  the  same  moral  les- 
son, as  it  is  taught  under  the  great  material  emblem. 

Take  the  other  side.  Adam  might  have  obeyed  the  law, 
and  have  brought  in  life  as  the  reward  of  obedience.  Then 
all  his  children  should  have  been  placed  under  a  "minis- 
tration of  righteousness;"  which,  in  view  of  their  personal 
responsibility,  should  have  also  been  a  salutary  and  impor- 
tant lesson,  teaching  them  that  their  personal  righteousness 
should  secure  their  personal  justification.  Nature  should 
then  again  have  become  an  inspired  volume,  so  to  speak, 
which  all  coming  generations  might  easily  read.  And  as, 
in  the  first  view,  sin,  by  introducing  death  and  evil  into  the 
world,  has  so  far  disqualified  them  to  meet  their  personal 
responsibility,  that  a  mediator  has  become  indispensably 
necessary;  so  in  the  second,  righteousness,  by  introducing 
life,  and  preserving  the  good  which  had  been  originally 
created,  should  have  fully  qualified  them  to  fulfil  their  per- 
sonal responsibility. 

Permit  me  then  to  suppose,  that  in  forming  a  remedy, 
the  wise  and  beneficent  creator  should  resolve  to  bring  in  a 
second  social  head, — a  second  Adam, — who  should  do  what 
the  first  Adam  failed  to  do;  or  who  should  introduce  a 
"  ministration  of  righteousness,"  attended  by  circumstances 
which  should  enable  every  man  to  meet  his  personal  re- 
sponsibilities: can  any  one  object  to  such  a  remedial  sys- 
tem? Exterior  circumstances  may  be  somewhat  altered, 
but  the  principle,  philosophically  considered,  is  precisely 
the  same.  It  certainly  is  the  only  plan  which  is  consistent 
with  personal  responsibility. 

You  have  all  read  enough  of  your  bibles  to  know  that  the 
mosaic  dispensation,  as  it  was  before  observed,  is  uniformly 
denominated  law;  and  that  the  christian  dispensation  is  as 
uniformly  denominated  gospel.  I  then  call  up  to  your  re- 
collection a  scriptural  fact,  in  reference  to  these  dispensa- 
tions, which  you  may  have  often-times  remarked  to  be 
couched  in  very  singular  phraseology.  The  first  is  declared 
to  be  "the  ministration  of  death  and  condemnation."  So 
much  for  law.  The  second  is  as  unequivocally  set  forth 
to  be  "the  ministration  of  righteousness  and  of  the  Spirit." 
This  is  gospel.     And  what  shall  we  understand  by  these 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  201 

singular  exhibitions  ?  Has  law,  under  the  mosaic  dispensa- 
tion, when  the  jews  sinned  as  Adam  did,  when  "the  offence 
abounded,"  and  when  Jehovah  described,  to  one  of  their 
own  prophets,  the  whole  house  of  Israel,  under  the  symbol 
of  a  valley  full  of  dead  and  dry  bones, — any  reference  to 
law  as  violated  by  Adam?  If  so,  then  the  phrase,  "minis- 
tration of  death,"  is  an  apostolic  technicality,  descriptive 
of  the  condition  of  mankind,  as  they  are  constituted  sin- 
ners by  Adam's  transgression.  But  this  being  admitted, 
then,  on  the  other  hand,  the  phrase  "ministration  of  righ- 
teousness," must  also  be  an  apostolic  technicality,  descrip- 
tive of  the  condition  of  mankind,  as  they  are  constituted 
righteous  by  Christ's  righteousness.  So  far  then  as  symbol 
can  explain, — symbol  which  has  been  in  protracted  and 
magnificent  display, — it  follows  that  the  finished  work  of 
the  mediator,  privileges  those  to  whom  its  knowledge  has 
already  come,  and  will  ere  long  privilege  all  mankind,  when 
his  kingdom  shall  be  one  and  his  name  one  throughout  the 
earth,  with  the  ministration  of  righteousness  ;  which 
ministration  will  serve  as  a  rule  of  government  in  view  of 
their  personal  responsibility.  Of  old  he  was  praised,  and 
from  the  rising  to  the  setting  sun,  shall  he  be  praised,  as 
Jehovah  our  righteousness. 

Such  is  the  ground  professedly  occupied  by  the  apostle 
Paul,  in  a  formal  argument  on  the  subject.*  Thus  he  rea- 
sons : — "As  by  the  offence  of  one,  judgment  came  upon  all 
men  to  condemnation,  even  so  by  the  righteousness  of  one 
the  free  gift  came  upon  all  men  unto  justification  of  life.  As 
by  one  man's  disobedience  the  many  (all)  were  made  (consti- 
tuted) sinners,  so  by  the  obedience  of  one  shall  the  many  (all) 
be  made  (constituted)  righteous."  The  principle  of  opera- 
tion, and  the  extent  to  which  it  is  carried,  are  the  same. 
All  are  constituted  sinners,  and  all  are  brought  into  con- 
demnation by  one  man's  offence,  on  the  one  hand  ;  so  all 
are  constituted  righteous,  and  are  brought  into  justifica- 
tion of  life  by  one  man's  righteousness  on  the  other.! 
Two  parallel  lines  could  not  be  more  distinctly  drawn, — two 
institutes,  of  similar  character,  could  not  be  more  circum- 
stantially described.  Indeed,  that  there  might  be  no  mistake 
on  the  subject,  the  apostle  had  prefaced  his  argument,  by 
unequivocally  asserting  that  Adam  was  the  figure  of  Christ. 
Here  then  are  two  official  characters, — the  one  at  the  head 

•  To  this  argument  I  have  had  occasion  to  allude  before,  Lecture  V U 


202  LECTURES  ON 

of  the  first,  or  legal  institute,  and  the  other  at  the  head  of 
the  second, or  evangelical  institute.  Under  the  one  condem- 
nation and  death  have  accrued,  under  the  other  righteousness 
and  life  have  been  presented.  In  the  one  all  men  die, — 
in  the  other  all  men  are  made  alive. 

Some  theologians,  in  interpreting  this  passage,  as  just 
quoted  from  the  apostle's  pen,  feel  no  difficulty  in  applying 
the  terms — sinner  and  condemnation  to  all  men  ;  because 
their  general  doctrine  of  the  original  institute,  and  of  the 
consequences  of  its  breach,  permit  them  to  do  so  most  un- 
reservedly. They  consider  that  all  mankind  are  temporally, 
spiritually  and  eternally  dead  in  Adam  ;  and  that  God  should 
have  been  perfectly  just  in  sentencing  all  Adam's  children 
to  such  a  doleful  fate  for  his  sin.  Human  depravity,  the 
lamentable  characteristic  of  all  ages  and  of  a~ll  communities, 
offer  them,  as  they  suppose,  facts  enough  for  an  impreg- 
nable defence  in  advancing  such  views.  But  when  they 
come  to  look  at  the  correlate  terms — righteousness  and  jus- 
tification unto  life,  they  are  compelled  to  change  their  ground. 
And  no  wonder.  For  on  the  principle  by  which  they  in- 
terpret the  forensic  terms  in  the  first  instance,  they  could 
not  interpiet  the  corresponding  terms  in  the  second  instance, 
without  rushing  into  the  doctrine  of  universal  salvation. 
Facts  would  not  sustain  so  sweeping  a  conclusion,  as  any 
intelligent  man  may  see.  But  to  give  up  their  principle,  in 
view  of  the  consequences  of  the  fall-,  would  be  to  spoil 
their  whole  theory,  and  send  them  adrift  on  a  boundless 
ocean,  where  no  sun  appears  by  day,  nor  stars  by  night. 
How  fearful  a  predicament!  Yet,  that  they  cannot  carry 
their  principle  through,  is  one  of  the  best  evidences  that  it 
is  incorrect.  Give  to  the  terms  all  round  an  official  appli- 
cation ;  leave  out  of  view  the  untenable  idea,  that  by  the  im- 
putation of  Adam's  sin  all  men  are  made  personally  sinners; 
or  by  the  imputation  of  Christ's  righteousness,  all  men  are 
made  personally  righteous, — let  temporal  death  be  contrasted 
with  the  resurrection  from  the  dead,  and  all  difficulties  van- 
ish. The  argument  becomes  plain  and  consistent,  and  the 
apostle  speaks  unrestrainedly  to  every  candid  mind. 

I  do  not  say  that  there  is  no  difference  between  the  two  so- 
cial heads,  or  the  extent  to  which  their  official  capabilities 
may  be  traced.  The  apostle  himself  emphatically  declares 
that  there  is  a  difference;  but  then,  instead  of  its  being  cal- 
culated to  restrict  the  benefits  flowing  from  Christ's  righ- 
teousness, they  are  celebrated  for  their  greater  exuberance. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  203 

;!Not  as  it  was  by  one  that  sinned,"  says  the  apostle,  "so  is 
the  gift.  For  the  judgment  was  by  one  (offence)  to  con- 
demnation, but  the  free  gift  is  of  many  offences  unto  justifi- 
cation." The  fact  which  he  had  previously  stated,  was,  that 
death  had  reigned  over  some  who  had  not  sinned  after  the 
similitude  of  Adam's  transgression; — of  course  then  there 
were  some  who  did  sin  like  Adam.  These  who  did  sin  like 
Adam,  were  guilty  of  the  "many  offences."  He  explains 
himself  afterwards,  by  saying,  that  in  consequence  of  the 
law  entering,  "the  offence  abounded."  The  reference  is 
most  unequivocally  to  the  jews,  who  alone  were  placed  un- 
der law,  and  could  sin  like  Adam.  Then  he  adds, — "But 
where  sin  abounded,  grace  did  much  more  abound;  that  as 
sin  hath  reigned  unto  death,  even  so  might  grace  reign 
through  righteousness  unto  eternal  life,  by  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord."  In  this,  then,  the  gift  transcended  the  offence  ;  for 
this  righteousness  of  Christ  covered  the  offences  committed 
by  the  jews  against  Law  which  had  been,  for  certain  pur- 
poses, privily  brought  in.  Or,  as  the  same  apostle  tells  us 
in  another  of  his  epistles,  and  when  discussing  the  subject 
of  Christ's  sacrifice: — "He  is  the  mediator  of  the  new  tes- 
tament, that  by  means  of  death,  for  the  redemption  of  the 
transgressions  that  were  under  the  first  testament,  they  which 
are  called  might  receive  the  promise  of  eternal  inheritance."* 
And  again  it  is  observed, — "God  hath  set  forth  Christ  to  be  a 
propitiation,  through  faith  in  his  blood,  to  declare  his  right- 
eousenss  for  the  remission  of  sins,  that  are  past  through  the 
forbearance  of  GW."t 

Perhaps  you  may  inquire  how  it  was  that  the  righteous- 
ness of  the  redeemer  thus  transcended  the  original,  or 
adamic,  type  ;  or  on  what  principle  it,  the  remedial  right- 
eousness, could  be  extended  in  its  application,  so  as  to 
cover  the  transgressions  committed  under  a  temporary  re- 
vival of  law?  The  answer  is  at  hand.  God  had,  by  his 
purpose  of  election, — adopted,  it  is  true  with  a  view  to  the 
general  good,  and  therefore  gracious  in  its  ultimate  design, 
yet  privily  introduced, — God  had,  in  erecting  the  sinaic  es- 
tablishment, placed  the  jews  in  a  very  novel  and  peculiar 
situation.  The  law  ordained  over  them,  proved  to  be  "a 
ministration  of  death," — a  yoke,  which  neither  they,  nor 
their  fathers  were  able  to  bear.  The  reason  for  this  inter- 
ference with  the  regular  operations  of  society,  as  they  had 
been,  from  the  day  the  first  promise  was  given,  developed 

*Hcb.  ix.  15.  f  Rom.  iii.  25. 


204  LECTURES  ON 

under  the  mediatorial  administration,  will  be  assigned  here* 
after.*  In  the  mean  time  the  fact  of  such  interference, 
whose  authority  could  not  be  established  but  by  a  train  of 
splendid  and  awful  miracles,  deserves  to  be  distinctly  no- 
ticed. Was  there  not  then  an  evident  necessity,  that  God 
should  protect  the  jews  from  all  harm  that  might  attend  on 
such  an  extra-judicial  proceeding  ?  As  all  mankind  had 
been  put  under  the  remedial  government  of  divine  grace, 
and  that  by  two,  if  not  three,  distinct  legislative  proclama- 
tions,— in  Adam,  Noah  and  Abraham, — how  could  al- 
mighty god  consistently  throw  any  part  of  them  back  again 
under  law?  In  such  a  case,  would  he  not,  by  a  sovereign 
act,  have  made  their  condition  worse  than  it  was  before,  and 
have  required  of  them  that  which  they  were  not  able  to 
render?  And  is  this  his  method  of  dealing  with  men,  whose 
sorrows  excite  the  sympathies  of  the  universe,  and  over 
which  his  Son  so  freely,  and  so  often,  wept  ?  Let  his  design 
be  what  it  may,  necessarily  he  would  protect  and  secure 
the  rights  of  his  chosen  people.  And  accordingly  he  pledged 
himself  to  do  so,  in  preaching  the  gospel  to  their  fathers, 
and  in  connecting  the  righteousness  of  faith  along  with  all 
the  institutions  which  he  gave  them.  Nor  only  so.  The 
saviour  himself  "delighted  in,"  as  "the  angel  of  the  cove- 
nant," was  the  captain  of  their  hosts,  who  went  before 
them  while  they  were  in  the  wilderness,  and  finally  brought 
them  into  the  promised  land. 

Nor  is  this  all.  One  great  object,  which  was  not  lost 
sight  of  at  any  time,  was  to  afford  an  antecedent  course, 
which  the  force  of  circumstances  had  rendered  necessary, 
by  which  to  introduce  the  Messiah.  The  law,  by  its  own 
terms,  could  hold  its  official  relations,  and  authoritatively 
bind  on  the  Jewish  conscience,  only  until  the  seed  should 
come  to  whom  the  promise  was  made.  It  was  a  mere 
schoolmaster,  instructing  a  pupil  while  yet  a  minor; — a  pre- 
paratory measure,  to  qualify  an  heir  to  receive,  and  to  en- 
joy, his  inheritance.  Of  course,  the  inheritance,  when  he  re- 
ceived it,  would  fully  compensate  him  for  any  disciplinary  se- 
verity, of  which  he  might  have  complained ;  and  he  might 
be  soothed  and  thankful,  when  the  advantages  of  his 
training  should  become  apparent  even  to  himself.  And  if 
the  benefits  which  have  accrued  from  that  singular  dispen- 
sation,— "glorious,"  even  though  it  was  "a  ministration  of 
death," — were  duly  appreciated  ;  if  we  should  only  estimate 

*  Lecture  X. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  205 

the  vast  amount  of  evidence  which  it  offers  in  behalf  of  the 
pretensions  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  the  demonstration  of 
the  impossibility  of  being  "justified  by  deeds  of  law,"  which 
it  affords ;  the  whole  world  might  praise  God  that  he  had 
so  peculiarly  distinguished  the  jews. — In  other  words, — 
The  mosaic  law  belonged  to  a  series  of  means,  by  which  the 
mediatorial  system  was  to  be  introduced  ;  and  that  system, 
must  not  only  secure  its  primary  object ;  but  guaranty  the  in- 
tegrity of  any  intermediate  measures,  which  were,  either 
originally,  or  casually,  necessary  to  its  introduction.  If  the 
operation  of  the  mosaic  ritual,  as  an  intermediate  measure, 
was  attended  by  the  abounding  of  the  offence;  then,  the  medi- 
atorial system,  spreading  itself  out  over  the  means  of  its  own 
introduction,  must  display  the  abounding  of  grace.  Hence  the 
redeemer,  in  being  put  under  law,  was  put  under  it  in  its 
mosaic  form;  and  is  set  forth  before  us  as,  having  fulfilled  all 
righteousness. 

But  I  have  another  use  to  make  of  this  seemingly  strange 
matter. — Theologians  have  sometimes  found  a  difficulty  in 
extending  the  phrases, — by  the  one  righteousness  the  many 
are  made  righteous,  and  by  the  righteousness  of  one  the 
free  gift  came  upon  all  men  unto  justification  of  life, 
— some  theologians,  I  say,  have  found  great  difficulty  in  ex- 
lending  these  phrases  to  all  men.  They  would  rather,  as 
has  before  been  stated,  suppose  some  restrictive  principle, 
of  which  no  notice  is  given  in  the  context,  yet  growing 
out  of  a  covenant  between  the  Father  and  the  Son,  to  con- 
fine these  terms  to  the  elect.  But  then,  were  not  the  jews 
the  elect  of  God  ;  and  was  not  the  apostle  reasoning  with 
them  at  the  time?  Are  they  not  put  into  contrast  with 
others,  who  were  not  under  law,  and  who  did  not  sin  after 
the  similitude  of  Adam's  transgression?  And  if  such  were 
the  Jewish  circumstances,  and  distinct  provision  was  made 
for  them,  as  the  elect,  to  whom  then  can  the  phrases  in 
question  refer,  but  to  all  men  ?  Are  not  the  many  opposed 
to  the  elect,  and  does  not  the  simple  appellation, — the 
many — rebuke  all  such  prudish  scruples?  There  is  nothing 
left  for  us,  but  to  take  the  broad  principle  which  the  apostle 
has  laid  down.  Adam  was  a  figure  of  Christ.  And  as  all 
men  are  constituted  sinners  by  Adam's  one  offence,  so  all 
men  are  constituted  righteous  by  Christ's  one  righteousness: 
As  all  men  are  brought  into  condemnation  by  Adam's  of- 
fence, so  all  men  are  brought  into  a  justification  unto  life 
by  Christ's  righteousness. 
18 


206  LECTURES  ON 

The  mediatorial  work  then  consists  in  this,  that  it  was  a 
ministration  of  righteousness.  For  this  purpose  Christ  was 
made  under  law.  Righteousness  is  conformity  to  law  ;  and 
life  is  the  reward  of  that  conformity.  Christ  having  rendered 
this  righteousness,  as  our  social  head,  procures  for  us  life. 
Adam  and  himself  acted  under  the  same  general  instrument; 
and  as  the  offence  of  the  one  brought  all  men  into  death, 
the  righteousness  of  the  other  brings  all  men  into  life. 
Hence  the  redeemer  is  so  fully  and  unequivocally  declared 
to  be  the  resurrection  and  the  life, — the  Lord  of  life  and  glory 
— whose  voice  shall  be  heard  in  the  grave,  waking  up  all 
the  dead.  Hence  it  is  said,  that  ere  he  shall  surrender  the 
kingdom  to  the  Father,  death,  though  the  last  enemy,  shall 
be  destroyed.  In  the  morning  of  the  resurrection,  when  all 
men  shall  rise  to  die  no  more,  death  shall  be  cast  into  the 
lake  of  fire. 

Thus  agreeably  to  the  nature  of  law,  according  to  its  own 
terms,  and  as  it  had  been  exemplified  in  Adam's  case,  life 
is  the  result  of  righteousness.  The  facts  most  demonstrably 
sustain  the  theory  advanced  ;  and  not  only  in  reference  to 
Christ's  work,  but  in  view  of  Adam's  sin.  For  if  the  resur- 
rection from  the  dead,  as  exhibited  in  Christ's  coming  back 
from  the  grave,  and  as  it  shall  be  exhibited  at  the  last  day, 
when  death  shall  be  swallowed  up  in  victory,  be  the  con- 
templated and  appropriate  result  of  his  obedience  to 
law;  then  Adam's  disobedience  could  only  introduce  that 
death  from  which  men  are  delivered  by  the  resurrection. — 
How  important  in  the  remedial  plan,  is  the  Saviour's 
resurrection  !  Its  "power"  in  relation  to  practical  godliness 
is  great,  as  Paul  most  aptly  and  beautifully  describes  it;* 
and  its  memorial,  as  it  returns  in  each  revolving  week,  can- 
not be  otherwise  than  refreshing  to  the  spiritual  mind. — 
Could  any  thing  more  interesting  than  the  connexion  be- 
tween righteousness  and  life,  thus  luminously  set  forth,  be 
offered  to  the  consideration  of  an  intellectual  being?  No 
wonder  that  the  scriptures  employ  such  glowing  terms, 
when  they  speak  on  this  lofty  theme  : — "This  corruptible," 
they  say,  "must  put  on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal  must  put 
on  immortality.  So  when  this  corruptible  shall  have  put  on 
incorruption,  and  this  mortal  shall  have  put  on  immortality, 
then  shall  be  brought  to  pass  the  saying  that  is  written, — 
Death  is  swallowed  up  in  victory.  0  death,  where  is  thy 
sting  ?     O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory  ?     The  sting  of  death 

•Phil.  iii.  8—11. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  207 

is  sin,  and  the  strength  of  sin  is  the  law.  But  thanks  be 
to  God  who  giveth  us  the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ." — Sorrow  and  sighing  shall  have  forever  ceased,  and 
the  Lord  God  shall  wipe  away  tears  from  off  all  faces. — This  is 
a  justification  unto  life.  He  who  forfeits  its  blessings,  and 
rises  to  everlasting  shame,  does  so  by  his  personal  unbelief, 
and  sinks  into  death  because  he  had  despised  the  abundant 
overtures  of  grace  divine. 

Supposing  that  Adam  had  obeyed  the  law,  and  brought 
in  "a  ministration  of  righteousness,"  instead  of  "a  ministra- 
tion of  death,"  what  would  have  been  its  leo-al  bearing?  His 
posterity  would  not  have  died, — death,  which  the  redeemer 
shall  destroy,  should  not  have  entered  the  world.     In  other 
words, — his  childr?n,  instead  of  having  been  involved  in  a 
condemnation  of  death,  would  have  obtained  a  justification 
unto  life.     This  constitutional  result  would  have  come  upon 
all  men.     But  the  question,  I  have  asked,  must  go  farther, 
and  inquire,  how  "a  ministration  of  righteousness,"  brought 
about   by   the   official  obedience   of  our  first  social   head, 
should  have  affected  the  personal  responsibility  of  his  chil- 
dren ?     Should  it   by  imputation,  have  conducted  them  to 
eternal   glory,  and  thus  have  nullified  the   whole  system  of 
personal  responsibility  ?     Should  there  not  have  been  an  in- 
dispensable necessity,  notwithstanding  Adam's  official  right- 
eousness, that  every  human  being  should  obey  the  law  writ- 
ten on  his  own  heart ;   and  by  personal  holiness  become  meet 
for  that  kingdom,  which  flesh  and  blood   cannot  inherit? 
And  if  the  contemplated  operations,  did  not  rest  on  an  im- 
putation which  absorbed  all  personal  responsibility,  could  this 
ministration  of  righteousness  have  served  any  other  purpose 
than  as  a  splendid  and   magnificent  emblem  to  induce  to 
personal  holiness;  in  the  same  way  that  God's  own  display, 
or  manifestation,  of  himself,  calls  for  our  imitation,  or  as 
official  excellence  always  demands  attention.     This  would 
have  corresponded  with  the  nature  of  men,  as  getting  their 
ideas  through  the  medium  of  their  external  senses  ;  and  ex- 
hibited every  man,  as  he  necessarily  is,  individually  account- 
able.     Certainly  when  Adam  sinned,  we  did  not  eat  the  for- 
bidden fruit ;   and  as  certainly,  if  he  had  not  eaten,  we  should 
have   thereby  displayed  no  personal  virtue.     In  the  same 
light  is  Christ's  righteousness  to  be  viewed.     Its  imputation 
to  us,  absorbing  our  personal  responsibility,  is  a  mere  theo- 
logical chimera,  and   in  all  juridical  science,    a  downright 
absurdity.     Every  human  being,  who  shall  ever  get  to  hea- 


208  LECTURES    ON 

ven,  will  get  there  on  the  principle  of  his  personal  holiness  ; 
and  every  one  who  is  turned  into  hell,  incurs  this  fearful 
doom,  not  by  any  deficiency  of  this  mediatorial  righteous- 
ness, to  be  attributed,  either  to  itself  or  to  any  purpose  re- 
specting its  application,  but  by  his  own  personal  unholiness. 
From  the  nature  of  the  case,  then,  and  from  the  nature  of  man, 
the  ministration  of  the  mediatorial  righteousness  must  be  an 
appeal  to  man's  outward  senses  ;  and  be  intended  to  call  forth 
all  his  personal  faculties,  on  the  principle  of  personal  re- 
sponsibility, and  for  the  purpose  of  personal  sanctification  ; — 
without  which  sanctification,  he  can  never  enter  the  king- 
dom of  glory. 

Certainly  the  scriptures  take  this  very  method  of  illustra- 
ting the  use,  which  they  intend  us  to  make  of  the  subjects 
they  present  to  our  consideration. — "Be  ye  holy,  for  I  am 
holy:" — "be  ye  imitators  of  me,  even  as   I  am  of  Christ ;" 
— "let  the  same  mind  be  in  you,  which  was  also  in  Christ 
Jesus;" — "hereunto  were  ye  called,  for  Christ  has  left  us  an 
example  that  we  should  follow  his  steps."     Similitude  is  in 
fact  the  secret,  the  sacred,  the  philosophical,  operation  of 
social  life  ;   and  gives  to  the  divine  manifestations  on  the 
one  hand,  and  to   social  responsibility  among  men  on  the 
other,  all  their  energy  and  importance.     The  characteristic 
of  our  being  at  the  first  was,  that  we  were  made  in  the  im- 
age of  God  ;   and  the  highest  benefit  which  can  be  bestowed 
on  a  race  of  sinners,  is  to  renew  them  in  knowledge,  right- 
eousness, and  holiness,  after  the  image  of  him  that  created 
them.     The  very  end  and  design  of  the  divine  government 
is  to  preserve  the  likeness  on  the  principle  of  personal  re- 
sponsibility ;  and  of  course  to  make  such  an  exhibition  as 
shall,  by  the  excitement  and  exercise  of  those  powers  for 
which  man  is   accountable,  further  and   secure  that  object. 
And  when  the  whole  is  obtained,  and  the  mediatorial  king- 
dom is  absorbed  in  the  general  administration,  which  pro- 
claims God  to  be  all  and  in  all,  the  consummation  supposes 
us  to  be  like  God.     There  is,  therefore,  no  other  principle 
on  which  the  remedial  transactions  of  Immanuel  could  be 
constructed.     They  form  a  ministration,  which,  under  the 
superintending  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  wakes  up  the  hu- 
man mind  to  consider  its  interests,  and  discharge  its  respon- 
sibilities.    The  view  thus    disclosed,   as    I    think,   unfolds 
the  only  principle  of  moral  government  consistent  with  per- 
sonal responsibility,  and  exhibits  the  glorious  import  of  the 
gospel.     This  is  the  channel  in  which  divine  favor  flows, 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT  .  209 

and  in  which  the  riches  of  divine  grace  discharge  themselves 
in  full  stream, — a  river  of  life  deep  and  broad,  where  all  may 
slake  their  thirst,  and  suffer  no  more  forever. 

But  in  interpreting  the  work  of  the  second  Adam  as  "a 
ministration  of  righteousness,"  and  thus  throwing  it  into  a 
systematic  arrangement  which  may  be  somewhat  novel,  you 
may  very  fairly  inquire,  what  is  the  place  which  the  death  of 
Christ  occupies  in  such  a  view  ?  Was  his  death  necessary, 
or  had  it  any  peculiar  efficiency  about  it  ? — Not  only  is  the 
inquiry  fair,  but  if,  in  any  place,  my  chain  of  reasoning  is 
weak,  we  have  now  in  our  hands  the  link  that  will  break. 
*Nor  have  I  any  objection  that  the  whole  catenation  should 
be  dissolved,  if  at  any  point,  it  will  not  bear  a  just  amount 
of  pressure.  Truth,  brethren,  truth  is  the  object  the  hu- 
man mind  is  searching  after.  The  Son  of  God  came  into 
the  world  to  bear  witness  to  the  truth. 

1.  The  redeemer  came  to  "finish  the  transgression,  to  make 
an  end  of  sins,  to  make  reconciliation  for  iniquity,  and  to 
bring  in  everlasting  righteousness."  In  this  variety  of  lan- 
guage do  the  scriptures  describe  his  work.  But  they  do 
not  intend,  by  multiplying  terms,  to  lead  us  away  from  its 
great  characteristic.  The  Spirit,  to  whose  agency  is  com- 
mitted the  application  of  evangelic  truth  to  the  human  mind, 
convinces  the  world  of  righteousness  :  used  in  which  con- 
nexion by  the  master  himself,  the  term  covers  the  whole  of 
his  finished  work.  As  has  already  been  intimated,  he  was 
"made  under  law."  The  law  then  is  the  measure  of  his 
operations;  and  prescribes,  throughout,  whatever  was  neces- 
sary for  him  to  undertake.  Of  course  he  must  die  because 
the  law  had  been  broken. 

But  it  may  be  said,  that  if  Adam  had  obeyed  the  law,  his 
obedience  Would  not  have  included  death.  True,  but  his 
obedience  would  have  been  the  righteousness  of  the  law ; 
because,  as  it  had  not  been  broken,  it  could  demand  no 
more.  If  more  had  been  required  than  mere  obedience  to 
the  precept  of  the  law,  then  mere  obedience  to  the  precept, 
in  his  case,  could  not  have  been  the  righteousness  required. 
But  now,  the  law  having  been  violated,  and  a  case  of  trans- 
gression being  called  into  judicial  consideration,  righteous- 
ness requires  something  more  than  mere  obedience  to  pre- 
cept. Christ  was  not  only  made  under  the  law,  but 
was  put  under  its  curse;  for  the  law  had  said,  in  view  of 
"sin  worthy  of  death"  having  been  committed, — "cursed  is 
every  one  that  hangeth  on  a  tree."  The  explanation  of  his 
18* 


£10  LECTURE?  DM 

death  is  then  to  be  referred  to  the  law.  whose  righteousness 
he  came  to  fulfil.  Hence  it  was  said  by  one  of  the  ancient 
prophets, — "The  Lord  is  well  pleased  for  his  righteousness' 
sake  ;    he  will  magnify  the  law,  and  make  it  honorable.* 

I  feel  no  concern,  whatever,  to  sustain  the  theological 
distinction  between  Christ's  active  and  passive  obedience: 
but  prefer,  with  the  apostle,  to  exhibit  an  entire  whole. 
The  apostle's  language  is. — "Being  found  in  fashion  as  a 
man,  he  humbled  himself,  and  became  obedient  unto  death, 
even  the  death  of  the  cross."  In  fact,  when  the  scriptures 
speak  of  the  righteousness  of  the  mediator,  they  uniformly  in- 
clude under  that  term,  both  his  active  and  passive  obedience, 
considering  him  as  being  "made perfect  through  sufferin 
Thus  in  one  epistle,  t  -the  many  offences"  committed  by 
the  jews,  are  represented  as  covered  by  his  righteousness  : 
and  in  another,  t  their  -'redemption''"  is  referred  to  his 
''•death.''  So  also  reconciliation  is  sometimes  referred  to 
the  whole  of  Christ's  work  :  as  in  the  passage  quoted, — 
'•'God  is  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto  himself." 
And  again, — God  '"'hath  reconciled  us  to  himself  by  Jesus 
Christ,  and  hath  given  unto  us  the  ministry  of  reconciliation." 
At  other  times  it  is  referred  to  his  sufferings  or  death : — 
'And  that  he  might  reconcile  both  unto  God  in  one  body, 
by  his  cross.' 

The  death  Christ    forms    the    distinguishing  part  of 

Christ's  mediatorial  work.  Adam,  in  rendering  the  right- 
eousness of  the  law.  would  not  have  died,  because  the  law 
had  not  been  broken.  But  by  Adam's  transgression  we  are 
constituted  a  race  of  sinners.  This  is  our  peculiarity,  and 
Christ  is  under  the  law  as  broken.  Hence  the  suffer- 
ings and  death  of  Christ  appear  so  conspicuous  in  the  scrip- 
tural details  ;  but  they  are  not  intended  to  supersede  in  our 
minds  the  idea  of  his  righteousness  as  a  whole.  A  part,  and 
that  which  circumstances  have  rendered  the  most  prominent, 
is  put  for  the  whole;  while  in  its  own  individuality,  it  is  al- 
ways put  in  connexion  with  our  sin;  is  always  referred  to 
the  fact  that  the  law  was  violated,  and  its  penalty  incurred  ; 
and  is  always  represented  as  indispensably  necessary.  Often, 
very  often,  do  the  inspired  writers  put  this  matter  in  the 
foreground,  as  the  very  perfection  of  our  mediatorial  prince, 
and  make  it  emblematic  of  the  whole  of  christian  living. 
"The  preaching  of  the  cross  is  to  them  that  perish,  foolish- 
ness ;  but  unto  us  which  are  saved,  it  is  the  power  of  God" 
*  Isai.  xlii.  21.         ,       tRom.  ch.  5.  {  Hcb.  be  15. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  211 

"We  preach  Christ  crucified,  unto  the  jews  a  stumbling- 
block,  and  unto  the  greeks  foolishness;  but  unto  them 
which  are  called,  both  jews  and  greeks,  Christ  the  power  of 
God,  and  the  ivisdom  of  God."  "God  forbid  that  I  should 
glory,  save  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom 
the  world  is  crucified  unto  me,  and  I  unto  the  world."  "I 
am  crucified  with  Christ,  nevertheless  I  live;  yet  not  I,  but 
Christ  liveth  in  me:  and  the  life  which  I  now  live  in  the 
flesh,  I  live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me, 
and  gave  himself  for  me."  "We  are  always  bearing  about 
in  our  body,  the  dying  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  that  the  life  also 
of  Jesus  may  be  made  manifest  in  our  body." 

2.  But  the  scriptures,  in  explaining  the  death  of  Christ, 
not  only  fondly  display  its  legal  consistency  :  they  compare  it 
with  the  great  practical  object,  which  "a  ministration  of 
righteousness"  was  intended  to  subserve.  God's  grand  de- 
sign is  to  place  before  us  a  most  perfect  emblem  of  that 
which  he  would  desire  us  to  be.  This  design  is  apparent 
in  the  visible  representations  he  has  made,  down  from  the 
manifestation  of  himself,  personally  and  in  his  works,  to  the 
lowest  form  in  which  social  life  or  official  responsibility  can 
appear.  Such  is  the  essential  principle  of  government  over 
a  class  of  beings  who  are  distinguished  by  personal  intelli- 
gence, and  who  get  their  ideas  by  means  of  their  external 
senses.  Nor  can  a  wider  range,  for  the  operation  of  such 
a  principle,  be  any  where  presented,  than  is  afforded  in  our 
own  world;  where  every  virtue  must  be  acquired  and  main- 
tained in  the  midst  of  toils,  temptations  and  sufferings.  To 
"learn  obedience  by  the  thing's  which  he  suffered,  as  though 
it  were  necessary  for  him  to  acquire  his  ideas,  in  the  same 
way  that  ideas  are  acquired  by  ourselves,  is  no  small  nor 
uninteresting  part  of  the  redeemer's  work,  considered  in 
view  of  its  practical  efficiency.  How  cheering  and  refresh- 
ing is  sympathy  to  a  sufferer!  It  is  the  only  inviting  form, 
in  which  the  social  affections  of  the  human  heart  can  be 
displayed,  when  suffering  must  be  endured.  There  is  a 
philosophic  coldness,  there  is  a  stoical  apathy,  sustained  by 
every  thing  that  is  chilling  in  abstract  principle,  which 
strong  intellectual  men  often  mistake  for  morality ;  and  under 
which  sensitive  minds  shrink  and  writhe.  But  our  master 
occupied  a  different  position.  "It  behooved  him  in  all  things, 
to  be  made  like  unto  his  brethren,  that  he  might  be  a  merciful 
and  faithful  high  priest  in  things  pertaining  to  God."  It 
would  not  do  for  heaven  itself  to  be  too  hard,  or  in  any 


~l~  LECTURES  ON 

way  too  severely  inquisitive  ;  not  that  Jehovah  does  any 
thing  wrong;  but  a  series  of  practical  operations,  consistent 
with  the  weaknesses  of  human  nature,  must  be  sustained, 
and  the  human  mind  must  be  put  into  a  situation  where  it 
might  act  freely  and  unreservedly.  A  finer  view  of  social 
life,  balancing  strong  and  weak  things  together,  could  not 
be  presented,  than  our  redeemer's  work  presents;  nor  can 
any  more  be  justly  required,  even  by  theologians  themselves. 
But  now,  christians,  "forasmuch  as  Christ  has  suffered  for  us 
in  the  flesh,  arm  yourselves  likewise  with  the  same  mind;- — 
Christ  also  hath  once  suffered  for  us,  having  us  an  example 
that  ye  should  follow  in  his  footsteps."  His  death  was 
a  death  unto  sin,  and  teaches  us  to  "mortify  the  deeds  of 
the  body,*'  that  we  may  live: — one  of  the  most  important 
items  belonging  to  our  personal  responsibility. 

3.  You  may  remember  that  in  a  former  lecture,*  when 
speaking  on  the  subject  of  trinity,  I  had  occasion  to  call 
your  attention  to  the  peculiarity,  and  the  force  of  the  fol- 
lowing phrases: — Almighty  God  ; — the  Spirit  searcheth  all 
things; — the  Father  judgelh  no  man,  but  hath  committed 
all  judgment  to  the  Son.  This  language  serves  to  show, 
that  Jehovah,  instead  of  leaving  our  little  minds  to  struggle 
in  vain  attempts,  to  arrange  and  express  some  adequate 
conceptions  of  his  own  immensity,  has  exhibited  himself 'm 
a  form  and  manner  which  is  suitable  to  our  apprehensions. 
A  similar  view  is  presented  to  us  here.  "It  behooved  Christ," 
says  the  apostle  Paul,  "to  be  made  like  unto  his  brethren, 
that  he  might  be  a  merciful  and  faithful  high-priest.''  Doubt- 
less our  whole  case  is  spread  out  in  the  light  of  his  own 
countenance.  He  knows  all,  and  can  do  all,  if  nothing  is 
to  be  considered  but  his  own  omniscience  or  omnipotence. 
But  something  else  is  to  be  taken  into  consideration.  He 
could  have  raised  up  children  to  Abraham,  of  the  stones  of 
the  street;  but  the  scriptures  must  be  fulfilled.  So  what- 
ever he  might  be  able  to  do,  viewing  simply  his  own  per- 
fections, yet  the  peculiarities  of  our  nature  must  be  re- 
garded. His  mediatorial  administration  must  be  conducted 
in  a  form,  which  shall  correspond  with  our  intellectual  ca- 
pacities. Sympathy,  like  love,  or  wisdom,  or  power,  or 
justice,  must  be  exhibited,  or  it  would  not  fall  within  the 
range  of  our  perceptions.  His  sufferings  and  death,  there- 
fore, resulted  from  a  necessity,  which  argues  no  deficiencies 
in  Jehovah,  but  some  peculiarity  in  our  own  constitution. 

•  Lecture  IV. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  213 

It  became  God  to  make  the  captain  of  our  salvation  perfect 
through  sufferings:  it  behooved  Christ  to  be  made  like  unto 
his  brethren,  that  he  might  be  a  merciful  and  faithful  high- 
priest.  Such  an  high  priest  became  us.  In  that  he  hath 
suffered,  being  tempted,  he  is  able  to  succor  those  that  are 
tempted.  The  necessity  for  the  death  of  Christ,  is  like  the 
necessity  for  a  divine  manifestation  in  the  flesh.  The  whole 
mediatorial  system  is  constructed  like  the  original  system  of 
creation;  in  which  material  things,  with  their  varied  rela- 
tions and  operations,  are  emblematic  of  spiritual  things. 
Like  books,  written  by  the  finger  of  God,  intellectual  sub- 
jects are  stated,  discussed,  and  exemplified  in  them.  And 
the  age,  which  best  understands  the  value  of  books,  should 
best  understand  the  inspired  volumes  of  nature,  or  should 
study  them  the  most  intensely. 

4.  It  is  here,  where,  if  I  mistake  not,  the  striking  and 
glorious  superiority  of  Christ,  as  the  second  Adam,  is  to  be 
considered.  The  first  Adam  was  made  a  "living  soul;" — 
the  second  Adam  was  made  "a  quickening  Spirit."  The 
nature  of  the  case,  and  the  peculiarity  of  the  mediatorial 
person,  alike  called  for  this  distinction.  Mankind  were  to 
be  raised  from  the  dead  ;  and  Christ  was  God  manifested  in 
the  flesh.  In  view  of  the  law,  and  of  the  nature  of 
grace,  which  will  allow  any  thing  that  is  not  inconsistent 
with  law;  and  in  view  of  a  divin©  manifestation,  in  which 
all  the  principles  of  the  original  institute  must  be  concen- 
tred ;  of  which  a  change  from  a  natural  into  a  spiritual  body 
was  the  most  glorious,  because  it  was  the  consummation  of 
that  institute;  any  superadded  privilege  or  influence  which 
was  called  for,  might  be  safely  introduced: — safely,  I  mean, 
in  reference  to  ideas  which  the  human  mind  can  form.  Now 
that  Christ  should  be  "a  quickening  spirit,"  was  called  for 
by  the  fact  that  all  men  had  been  brought  into  death  by 
Adam's  sin.  How  could  he  then,  as  a  quickening  spirit, 
raise  man  from  the  dead ;  and  not  violate  the  essential 
principles  of  the  moral  government,  which  had  been  estab- 
lished among  men?  Through  death,  says  the  apostle,  he 
destroyed  him  that  had  the  power  of  death.  The  dominion 
of  death  being  thus  broken  up,  grace  comes  in  to  act  out 
her  own  character,  and  sets  off  our  victorious  prince  with 
all  the  glory  and  beauty,  all  the  strength  and  majesty,  which 
our  circumslances  could  call  for,  or  which  could  win  our  affec- 
tion and  gain  our  confidence.  Not  that  any  thing  is  done  for 
the  mere  sake  of  show;  but  grace  is  exuberant,  though  it 


214  LECTURES  ON 

never  acts  inconsistently  with  law.    The  mediatorial  system 
has  no  deficiencies. 

Admitting  that  "a  ministration  of  righteousness,"  perfect 
in  all  its  parts,  and  affording  a  full  display  of  its  legal  attri- 
butes, had  been  constructed  by  Christ's  "  obedience  unto 
death,*'  it  may  now  be  inquired  whether  in  this  he  met  the 
whole  object  of  his  mediatorial  mission  ?  To  answer  this 
inquiry,  we  must  revert  again  to  the  scriptural  prototype, 
and  ask  what  else  Adam  would  have  done,  if  he  had  obeyed 
the  law  ?  This  retrospective  view  discloses  a  secondary 
fact  of  great  interest.  The  most  superficial  observer  would 
discern  that,  the  knowledge  of  evil  should  not  have  been 
introduced  into  the  world,  if  our  first  father  had  not  sinned. 
In  other  words,  his  children  would  have  been  placed  in  the 
most  happy  external  circumstances,  in  regard  to  their  per- 
sonal responsibility  ;  and  should  have  enjoyed  every  facility 
by  which  they  could  be  assisted  in  discharging  their  obliga- 
tion. A  corresponding  result  must  attend  on  Christ's  right- 
eousness, so  that  believers  in  his  name  might  become  per- 
sonally qualified  to  fulfil  their  duties,  and  secure  everlasting 
life.  Were  it  necessary,  we  have  now  an  opportunity  of 
descanting  on  the  various  means  of  grace  ;  which,  by  the 
word  and  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  are  employed  to  affect  the  hu- 
man mind,  and  to  convince  the  world  of  sin,  of  righteous- 
ness, and  of  judgment.  The  evil  which  lias  been  intro- 
duced by  the  original  offence,  it  might  be  shown,  is  sancti- 
fied to  the  production  of  ultimate  good.  The  tempter's 
power  is  broken,  or  his  kingdom  is  destroyed,  according  to 
the  terms  of  the  original  promise;  so  that  the  believer  is 
brought  off  more  than  a  conqueror  through  him  that  loved 
him  and  gave  himself  for  him.  And  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  all  the 
plenitude  of  grace,  and  in  all  the  variety  of  the  kindest  offi- 
ces, would  attend  each  child  of  redeeming  love  through  all 
the  diversified  scenes  of  his  earthly  pilgrimage.  But  all 
these  matters  are  perfectly  familiar  to  every  christian.  He 
is  already  acquainted  with  their  freeness  and  their  fulness  ; — 
they  are  the  common  topics  to  which  he  listens  every  sab- 
bath, and  on  which  he  meditates  every  day. — A  remark  or 
two  only  I  think  to  be  necessary. 

The  original  promise  was  expressed  in  this  language ; — 
"I  will  put  enmity  between  thee  and  the  woman,  and  be- 
tween thy  seed  and  her  seed ;  it  shall  bruise  thy  head,  and 
thou  shalt  bruise  his  heel."  The  principal  idea  here  stated, 
and  which  is  made  to  represent  the  whole  mediatorial  work, 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  215 

is  that  of  the  judgment,  by  which  Satan,  as  the  god  of  the 
world,  is  overthrown.  The  same  idea  is  frequently  advanced 
in  the  new  testament,  in  explanation  of  the  redeemer's  work. 
Thus — "Forasmuch  as  the  children  were  partakers  of  flesh 
and  blood,  he  also  himself  likewise  took  part  of  the  same; 
that  through  death  he  might  destroy  him  that  had  the  power 
of  death,  that  is  the  devil."* — "  For  this  purpose  the  Son  of 
God  was  manifested,  that  he  might  destroy  the  works  of  the 
devil. "t — "Now  is  the  judgment  of  this  world;  now  shall 
the  prince  of  this  world  be  cast  out."i — "The  prince  of  this 
world  corneth,  but  hath  nothing  in  me."§  The  Spirit  "  shall 
convince  the  world  of  judgment, — because  the  prince  of 
this  world  is  judged. "|| — This  event  was  achieved  by  the  re- 
deemer's death,  or  righteousness,  because  that  was  the  fulfil- 
ment of  the  law.  "Now  as  "the  sting  of  death  is  sin,  and 
the  strength  of  sin  is  the  law,"  the  power  of  Satan  must  be 
derived  from  the  law  as  broken.  Of  course,  when  the  law 
was  fulfilled,  his  power  was  destroyed,  his  kingdom  was 
overturned,  his  head  was  bruised.  Any  power  which  he 
may  now  exert,  the  believer  is  perfectly  competent  to  resist: 
and  thus  the  promise  was  fulfilled.1T 

*Heb.  ii.  14.  J  John  xii.  31.  ||John  xvi.  8—11. 

f  1  John  iii.  8.  §John  xiv.  30. 

UThe  demoniacal  possessions  which  occurred  under  the  Jewish  dis- 
pensation, must  all  be  referred  to  its  peculiarity  as  being  the  adminis- 
tration of  law,  or  "  a  ministration  of  death."  And  if  this  simple  view 
explains  their  occurrence,  the  miracles  which  they  furnished  the  me- 
diator with  the  opportunity  of  performing,  afforded  appropriate  evi- 
dences of  his  messiah-ship. 

The  imprecations  which  so  often  occur  in  the  psaims,  form  ano- 
ther curious  circumstance,  that  seems  to  require  explanation.  Vari- 
ous opinions  have  been  offered,  which  do  not  appear  to  me  to  be 
satisfactory.  Perhaps  a  reference  to  the  peculiarity  of  the  dispensa- 
tion, under  which  the  psalmist  lived,  may  clear  up  the  whole  matter.  I 
will  illustrate  my  meaning  by  some  remarks  of  the  redeemer  on  a  pa- 
rallel case.  On  a  certain  occasion,  when  he  was  passing  through 
Samaria,  the  inhabitants  of  some  village  would  not  receive  him,  "  be- 
cause his  face  was  as  though  he  would  go  to  Jerusalem."  The  disci- 
ples, hurt  at  the  indignity  offered  to  their  master,  asked  him  to  permit 
them  to  pray  for  fire  from  heaven  to  consume  these  Samaritans,  even  as 
Elias  did.  He  answered  them  by  a  rebuke  ; — "  Ye  know  not  what  man- 
ner of  Spirit  ye  are  of ;  for  the  Son  of  man  is  not  come  to  destroy  men's 
lives,  but  to  save  them."  What  is  the  force  of  his  reason  ?  Or  how 
does  it  bear  on  the  conduct  of  Elias  ?  I  would  paraphrase  his  answer 
thus  : — Ye  know  not  the  nature  of  the  dispensation  under  which  you  are 
called  to  minister.  Such  a  prayer  might  do  for  Elias,  who  lived  under 
"  a  ministration  of  death  ;"  but  you  must  act  under  the  ministration  of 
life." — That  the  term  Spirit  may  be  so  viewed  is  evident  from  the  use 


216  LECTURES  ON 

Perhaps,  in  reference  to  the  mission  of  the  Spirit,  it  may 
be  nsked,  how  can  He  be  said  to  be  sent,  according  to  the 
ideas  of  trinity  which  I  have  advanced  ?  Observe  the  terms 
in  which  the  redeemer  speaks  on  this  subject: — and  when 
"  he  is  come,  he  will  guide  you  into  all  truth;  for  he  shall 
not  speak  of  himself,  but  whatsoever  he  shall  hear,  that  shall 
he  speak  ;  he  shall  gloiify  me,  for  he  shall  receive  of  mine 
and  shall  show  it  unto  you."  Of  course  it  is  not  ab- 
stract deity  to  which  your  attention  is  called,  when  the  scrip- 
tures refer  you  to  the  Holy  Spirit.  All  the  phraseology  which 
is  employed,  belongs  to  Jehovah  as  manifested  in  personal 
form  ;  and  the  coming  of  the  Spirit,  is  like  the  ascension  of 
Jesus,  a  transaction  which  derives  its  propriety  and  its 
phrase  from  the  nature  of  the  thing.  On  the  principle  of 
similitude,  which  is  the  professed  object  of  the  whole,  and 
on  which  all  the  circumstances  are  made  to  turn,  there  is 
no  more  diificulty  nor  impropriety,  than  when  Paul  speaks 
of  being  present  in  spirit,  while  absent  in  body.  The  spirit 
of  a  manifested  God,  or  of  a  visible  and  glorious  personage, 
of  whom  spirit  and  external  form  or  body  may  be  predicated, 
might  be  said  to  come  or  to  be  sent,  without  any  far-fetched 
idea  being  presented  to  the  mind.  We  can  have  no  other 
ideas  of  God,  than  those  which  are  attendant  upon,  and  con- 
sistent with  such  a  manifestation  ;  and  any  incongruity  which 
we  suppose  ourselves  to  perceive  from  the  fact  of  the  Spirit  be- 
ing sent,  arises  from  the  laboured  and  unsatisfactory  attempt 
we  have  made  to  form  a  conception  of  abstract  deity. — 
Jehovah,  as  manifested,  says,  my  Spirit,  in  the  same  way  in 
which  any  of  us  speak,  when  we  say, — my  Spirit. — "  The 
Spirit  of  the  prophets  are  subject  to  the  prophets."  The 
language  does  not  barely  cover  the  idea  of  God's  sending 
himself.  It  is  God  manifested,  who  is  represented  to  us  as 
both  spirit  and  form,  who  says  my  spirit,  contradistinguished 
horn  form,  that  form  being  removed  from  our  view.  We  no 
longer  know  Christ  after  the  flesh. 

The  object  of  the  mediatorial  work  is  to  reconcile  man  to 
God.  In  this  view,  I  presume,  any  one  may  distinctly  re- 
cognise a  remedial  operation,  which  addresses  itself  to  man 
as  a  free,  intelligent,  and  responsible  agent.  The  very  term 
imports   one  of  the  highest  intellectual  efforts  which  a  ra- 

made  of  it  in  Rom.  viii.  15,  and  2  Tim.  i.  7.  If  then  the  circumstan- 
ces or  dispensation  under  which  Elias  acted,  justified  his  prayer  ;  the 
same  justification  may  be  advanced  in  behalf  of  David's  official  charac- 
ter, in  the  matter  alluded  to. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  217 

tional  being  can  make;  implies  an  action  on  his  mind  of 
a  variety  of  considerations,  both  pleasing  and  active ;  and 
indicates  a  state  of  heart  in  which  a  thousand  evil  passions 
may  have  been  repressed,  or  have  given  way  to  the  liveliest 
exercise  of  the  best  affections.  The  result  is  one  in  which, 
kindness  and  love,  argument  and  entreaty,  expostulation 
and  warning,  are  employed ;  and  where  mere  force  is  the 
feeblest  and  worst  of  all  means  that  can  be  used.  Accord- 
ingly, both  "  the  word"  and  "  the  ministry  of  reconciliation," 
are  intellectual  in  their  character  and  Influence,  and  never 
have  been  indebted  to  the  physical  arm  for  any  thing  of 
which  it  has  so  proudly  boasted. — "  Now  then,"  says  an 
apostle,  "  we  are  ambassadors  for  Christ,  as  though  God  did 
beseech  you  by  us,  we  pray  you  in  Christ's  stead,  be  ye  re- 
conciled to  God."  Hence  it  is  that  we  are  charged  not  to 
resist.  Hence  it  is  that  we  are  required  to  believe.  And 
hence  it  is  that  the  fault  is  our  own,  if  we  are  not  saved. — 
Having  eyes,  we  see  not;  having  ears,  we  hear  not;  and 
having  hearts,  we  understand  not.  But  submitting  ourselves 
to  other  influences,  and  yielding  to  the  lusts  of  the  flesh, 
to  the  corruptions  of  the  world,  and  to  the  temptations  of 
satan,  and  that  in  defiance  of  every  suggestion  which  divine 
kindness  has  made,  we  bring  everlasting  ruin  on  our  own 
souls. 

The  reconciled  man   exerts  all  his   intellectual  energies 
under  the  directing   control  of  truth,   whose  evidence  has 
been  brought  home  demonstrably  to  his  own  mind,  while  all 
his  feelings  fully  accord.     He  mortifies  his  flesh,    "keeps 
his  body  under,"  watches  against  temptation,  and  lives  above 
the    world,   that   he   may  walk  in   communion   with   God. 
Christ  is  in  his  heart  the  hope  of  glory,  and  he  lives  by  faith 
on  redeeming  love.     He   is  distinguished  by  the  fruits  of 
the   Spirit,  who  dwells  in  him.     His  business  is  to  glorify 
God,  to  do  good,  arid  finally  to  attain   to  everlasting  joy. 
His  treasures,  his  conversation,  his  heart,  are  in  heaven, 
and  he  is  patiently,  but  affectionately,  waiting  for  the  com- 
ing of  the  Lord.     His  path  is  like  the  shining  light,  which 
"  shineth  more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day."     "  Drawn 
with  the  cords  of  a    man,   and  with    bands   of  love,"    he 
leaves  the  things  which  are  behind,  and  reaches  forward  to 
the  things  that  are  before.     And  when  at  last  he  has  finish- 
ed his  course,  he  cheerfully  bids  the  world  adieu,  lays   off 
the  panoply  in  which  he  had  maintained  his  successful  con- 
flict, and  departs  to  dwell  with  his  Lord  forever.     To  pro- 
19 


218  LECTURES  ON 

duce  such  a  change  in  human  beings,  who  are  found  de- 
voted to  the  sensualities  of  life,  and  alienated  in  their  minds 
by  wicked  works,  is  the  avowed  object  of  the  Mediator's 
righteousness,  and  of  the  Spirit's  operations.  And  the 
whole  proceeds  from  setting  up  the  kingdom  of  God  in  hu- 
man hearts. 

It  may  be  very  readily  conceived  how  the  righteousness 
of  Christ,  accomplished  by  his  becoming  obedient  unto  death. 
should  effect  this  reconciliation.  It  illustrates  and  exempli- 
fies the  connexion  between  righteousness  and  life,  which  is 
the  great  moral  lesson  we  have  to  learn,  and  constitutes 
the  very  element  of  our  intellectual  existence.  It  unfolds 
to  us  the  principle  of  moral  responsibility,  on  which  our 
everlasting  destinies  depend.  It  manifests  the  divine  per- 
fections with  all  their  attractive  influence  ;  exhibits  the  good- 
ness and  portrays  the  love  of  God,  in  the  most  inviting 
and  gracious  form.  It  is  the  visible  and  demonstrative  in- 
terpretation of  all  those  moral  principles  which  are  applica- 
ble to  our  condition  as  subjects  of  the  divine  government, 
and  as  living  in  a  world  of  sin  and  sorrow.  It  affords  a  lu- 
minous and  lovely  portrait  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  by  be- 
holding which,  we  become  changed  into  the  same  image, 
from  glory  to  glory,  even  as  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord.  It 
consecrates  a  hallowed  spot  where  the  Lord  reveals  his 
presence,  that  by  communion  with  him,  he  may  leave  the 
full  and  vivid  impression  of  his  own  pure  and  holy  character 
upon  our  spirits.  It  creates,  and  bestows  all  those  secon- 
dary agencies,  through  which,  as  his  own  appointed  means, 
he  holds  a  purifying  fellowship  with  our  inmost  thoughts. — 
These,  and  such  like  results,  make  up  its  characteristic  ope- 
rations in  a  sanctifying  process,  which  the  Spirit  carries  on 
within  us.  He  who  submits  his  heart  and  yields  his  affec- 
tions, feels  himself  to  be  in  the  holiest  of  all,  and  in  com- 
munion with  his  heavenly  Father.  He  calls  up  to  recollec- 
tion the  lusts  he  has  indulged,  the  sins  he  has  committed, 
the  mercies  he  has  abused;  and  how  freely  and  copiously 
he  weeps,  repenting  of  all  that  he  has  done.  He  looks  to 
his  saviour's  virtues  and  sorrows,  learns  the  nature  of  his 
own  being,  perceives  the  truth  of  the  gospel  brought  home 
to  him  "in  demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and  with  power/' 
and  deeply  convinced,  he  believes.  He  listens  to  the  pro- 
mises of  future  glory,  and  withdrawing  his  eyes  from  the 
vanities  of  life,  he  transfers  his  affections  to  heaven.  He 
looks   around  upon   a  guilty,  dying   world,  and  his  heart, 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  219. 

bursting  with  the  tenderest  sympathies  for  his  brethren, 
he  tells  them,  in  impassioned  strains,  what  the  Lord  has 
done  for  his  soul;  seeks  to  convince  them  that  there  is  a 
living,  regenerating,  sanctifying  influence  about  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus,  when  it  is  admitted  into  the  heart;  and  be- 
seeches them  to  be  reconciled  unto  God. 

Ought  not  such  effects  to  follow,  if  the  gospel  be  what  it 
pretends  to  be;   if  man  be  an  intellectual  creature;   and  if 
Jehovah  communes  with  his  mind,  or  deals  with  him  on  the 
principle  of  personal  responsibility?     Must  not  such  effects 
necessarily  follow,  unless  the  hearers  of  the  gospel  resist 
the  moral  influence,  which  the  God  of  love  thus  brings  to 
bear  upon  their  own  intellectual  nature?     Is  not  power, — 
power  to   reconcile,  to  regenerate,  to  sanctify,  to  elevate, 
the  human  mind,  and  analogous  with  the  operations  of  power 
in   all    other  directions,   here   most  abundantly   disclosed? 
See  you  not  that  God  is  thus  working,  working  mightily,  in 
you,  according  to  his  good  pleasure;  and,  by  his  Spirit,  con- 
vincing you  of  sin,  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment?     Feel 
you  not,  that  the  gospel  is  a  competent  instrument  of  spi- 
ritual action  on  your  own  hearts;  that  the  cross  of  Christ  is 
suited  to  your  earthly  condition;  and  that  your  sympathizing 
high-priest  is  able  to  succor  you  in  your  temptations, — is 
able  to  save,  even  to  the  uttermost,  all  that  come  unto  God 
by  him?     Have  you  ever  heard  any  thing  like  it?     Has  the 
proud    philosopher    ever   displayed    such    wisdom,    or   the 
haughty    formalist   ever  manifested  such  power •?     Behold, 
sinner,  what  a  glorious  foundation  God  hath  laid  in  Zion ! 
Lay  down  your   weapons  of  rebellion?     Quit  your  unbe- 
coming and  ruinous  strife  with  your  heavenly  Father.     Lis- 
ten   to    his    exhortations.     Harden    your   hearts   no    more 
against   the   yearnings   of  his  Spirit.     Calculate  not,   that 
after  you  shall  have  rejected  his  Son,  there  "  remaineth  a 
sacrifice  for  sin."     Think  not,  that  mercy  will  plead  your 
cause,  and  avert  your  impending  doom,  while  your  nature 
is  unsanctified,  and  your  soul  unreconciled.     Other  founda- 
tion no  man  can  lay,  than  that  which  is  laid,  even  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.     Reject  him,  and  you  are  undone  forever,  be- 
cause there  is  no  other  medium  of  reconciliation; — no  me- 
thod, consistent  with  your  own  intellectual  nature,  by  which 
you  can  be  renewed  in  the  spirit  of  your  mind.     An  unholy 
being  is  prepared  for  nothing,  either  in   his  own  bosom,  or 
according  to  the  established  principles  of  all  moral  govern- 
ment, but  perdition.    You  might  as  well  suppose  that  a  hur- 


220  LECTURES  O.N 

ricane   would  contribute   to  vegetation,  as  imagine  that  an 
unsanctified  man  would  be  meet  for  heaven. 

But  in  speaking  of  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  it  may  far- 
ther be  inquired,  what  connexion  it  has  with  the  "actual  trans- 
gressions'' of  men,  and  those  which  are  committed  by  them 
as  living  on  their  own  responsibility? — In  the  text  which  has 
been  so  often  quoted  on  these  general  subjects,  this  ques- 
tion is  very  explicitly  answered : — "God  is  in  Christ,  re- 
conciling the  world  unto  himself,  not  imputing  unto  men  their 
trespasses."  Can  any  other  explanation  be  desired?  But 
men  are  so  full  of  their  ideas  of  abstract  justice,  and  reason 
so  exclusively  on  principles  of  mere  law,  that  they  have  sub- 
stituted a  series  of  theological  enigmas  for  the  riches  of 
grace.  Taking  such  a  range  of  thought,  they  dwell  in 
deepest  sadness  on  the  forbidding  and  chilling  views  of  di- 
vine sovereignty  which  they  have  formed;  and  sit  down  wilt- 
ed and  writhing  under  the  frowns  of  an  angry  Judge,  as 
though  they  had  committed  the  unpardonable  sin;  when 
they  should  have  laid  their  heads  upon  a  saviour's  bosom, 
and  diank,  yea  drank  abundantly,  from  the  fountain  of  his 
forgiving  love.  How  often  we  have  yearned  over  such 
troubled  spirits!  And  that,  when,  perhaps,  we  have  scarcely 
escaped  from  the  toils  ourselves. 

Let  us  inquire  after  the  principle.  Theologians  have  rea- 
soned from  the  nature  of  law  ?  But  are  we  under  law?  If 
we  are  not  under  law,  their  premises  are  inaccurate,  and  no 
wonder  their  conclusion  is  so  troublesome; — for  what  can 
the  human  mind  ever  gain  by  false  reasoning?  The  real 
fact  is  that  we  are  not  under  law,  but  are  under  grace.  The 
law  gives  sin  all  its  power;  but  being  under  grace,  "sin 
shall  not  have  dominion  over  us."  Christ  having  become 
the  end  of  the  law,  by  fulfilling  its  righteousness,  we  are 
placed  under  gospel,  and  our  inferences  must  now  be 
drawn  from  the  nature  of  grace.  What  then  may  we  not 
expect  from  grace?  What  will  not  the  God  of  grace  do  for 
us,  seeing  that  he  has  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  sinner, 
and  has  loved  us  so  much  as  to  give  his  only  begotten  Son 
to  die  for  us?  He  is  our  loving  Father,  what  may  his  chil- 
dren not  ask  for?  After  all  his  professions  and  declara- 
tions of  fatherly  kindness,  can  ministers  of  his  holy  sanc- 
tuary still  describe  him  as  keeping  up  a  judicial  process  on 
principles  of  inexorable  law,  urging  it  even  to  an  extremity, 
and  would  you  believe  them.  Would  any  of  you,  being  a 
father,  give  to  your  son  a  stone,  when  he  asks  for  a  piece  of 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  221 

bread,  or  a  scorpion,  when  he  asks  for  an  egg}  What  then 
mean  all  these  fine-spun  theories,  and  petrifying  denuncia- 
tions, which  drink  up  the  spirit  by  the  anguish  they  create, 
when  prophets  and  apostles  are  singing  and  preaching 
grace  divine;  and  when  the  providence  of  God,  in  "  the 
riches  of  his  goodness,  forbearance,  and  long-suffering," 
stands  inviting,  commanding,  entreating,  reasoning,  expos- 
tulating— waiting  for  the  sinner  to  return?  Surely  ministe- 
rial men  have  misunderstood  their  commission,  and  the  chris- 
tian church  has  not  read  aright  the  charter  of  her  privileges 
and  her  hopes.  And  yet  these  very  dogmas  which  distort 
our  heavenly  Father's  image,  and  pierce  our  own  hearts 
with  so  many  sorrows,  are  the  things  which  official  men  are 
so  laboriously  and  fiercely  defending,  and  which  parents 
are  so  inconsiderately  teaching  to  their  children. 

Perhaps  my  remarks  may  be  charged  with  a  tendency  to 
licentiousness.  Does  such  a  tendency  belong  to  the  nature 
of  grace?  Or  does  it  acquire  that  tendency  when  it  is  put 
into  contrast  with  law,  or  is  exhibited  as  forming  the  char- 
acteristic of  a  remedial  government  in  the  hands  of  the  Son 
of  God  ?  Is  a  reconciled  man  a  creature  of  unbridled  lusts, 
or  unhallowed  propensities  ?  Or,  as  Paul  would  express  the 
idea,  "can  he  who  is  dead  to  sin,  live  any  longer  therein?" 
Is  there  any  immoral,  or  antiphilosophic  attribute  belonging 
to  an  administration  of  love? 

But  then  are  not  our  actual  sins  pardoned  for  Christ's 
sake  1  Most  assuredly.  The  scriptures  have  explicitly  de- 
clared the  fact.  We  are  all  called  upon,  to  be  "kind  one  to 
another,  tender  hearted,  forgiving  one  another,  even  as 
God,  for  Christ's  sake  hath  iorgiven  us."  Nor  is  it  un- 
common with  the  bible  to  represent  us  as  pardoned  for 
Jehovah's  name  sake.  On  what  principle?  The  ground 
was  cursed,  and  might  have  been  blessed,  for  Adam's 
sake.  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  would  have  been  saved  for  the 
sake  of  fifty,  or  even  often,  righteous  men.  And  why?  If 
the  practical  result  of  Christ's  righteousness  be  to  reconcile 
the  world  ;  and  if,  when  the  mediatorial  kingdom  has  been 
accomplished,  the  redeemed  are  presented  as  personally 
holy,  should  pardon  for  their  many  transgressions  be  with- 
held? Is  not  this  the  very  thing  declared  in  the  text, — 
"God  is  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  unto  himself,  not 
imputing  unto  men  their  trespasses?"  What  would  you  do 
with  a  reconciled,  a  reformed,  a  holy  man  ?  What  would 
an  earthly  father  do  with  a  returning  prodigal  ?  Under  such 
19* 


222  LECTURES  ON 

circumstances  is  not  forgiveness  natural,  wise,  equitable,  and 
right?  Has  not  God  explicitly  declared,  that — "If  we  con- 
fess our  sins,  He  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins, 
and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness?"  Could  the 
issue  of  law  itself,  be  any  thing  more  than  that  holy  men 
should  be  eternally  happy  ?  And  would  not  all  this,"  flow- 
ing from  the  practical  efficiency  of  the  redeemer's  right- 
eousness, under  a  government  of  love,  be  the  fruit  of  grace, 
which  the  redeemed  may  celebrate  through  eternity  ? — 
Christ's  righteousness,  as  perfected  by  his  death,  thus  be- 
comes the  propitiation  ;  or  that  official  thing,  on  whose 
principles,  as  intrinsically  excellent,  as  most  happily  appro- 
priate to  the  case,  and  as  sustained  by  the  law  itself,  God 
can  be  favorable  to  our  world,  and  extend  pardon,  freely 
and  fully,  without  infringing  on  the  nicest  point  of  government. 
It  may  be  farther  objected,  that  the  doctrine  advanced  ex- 
hibits the  sinner  as  justified  by  the  merit  of  his  own  works. 
To  this  I  reply,  that  merit  is  another  theological  term, 
whose  technical  obliquity  has  injured  many  a  spiritual  mind. 
Besides,  it  is  a  term  which  belongs,  in  the  common  use  that 
is  made  of  it,  to  the  administration  of  law,  under  which  we 
do  not  live.  As  to  justification,  its  details,  though  much  in- 
volved by  theological  sophistry,  are  very  plain  and  simple 
on  the  scriptural  page.  JN"o  man  ever  can  be  "justified  by 
deeds  of  law,"  or  obedience  to  law  abstractly  considered, 
because  no  man  can  obey  law. — This  is  what  "the  law  could 
not  do,  in  that  it  was  weak  through  the  flesh."  Here  arises 
the  necessity  for  a  mediator.  This  mediator,  having  obeyed, 
or  fulfilled  the  righteousness  of  the  law,  all  men,  who  had 
been  previously  brought  into  condemnation  by  Adam's  sin, 
are  brought  into  a  justification  of  life.  This  being  effected, 
all  men  are  put  under  the  mediatorial  government,  and  are 
required  to  believe  and  obey  the  gospel ;  on  their  own  per- 
sonal responsibility,  and  under  institutions  of  grace  which 
are  most  favorable  to  the  discharge  of  that  responsibility. — 
He  that  believeth  is  "justified  by  faith  ;"  he  that  believe'h 
not  is  condemned  for  his  unbelief.  And  at  the  last  day, 
when  "God  shall  judge  the  secrets  of  men  by  Jesus  Christ, 
according  to  the  gospel,"  every  man  shall  stand  justified  or 
condemned,  according  to  the  facts  belonging  to  his  individ- 
ual case. — "I  say  unto  you,"  said  the  blessed  master, — 
"That  every  idle  word  that  men  shall  speak,  they  shall  give 
account  thereof  in  the  day  of  judgment.  For  by  thy  words 
thou  shalt  be  justified,  and  by  thy  words  thou  shalt  be  condemn- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  223 

erf."*  And  again  I  ask,  what  else  would  you  do  with  a 
righteous  man  than  justify  him,  or  with  an  unrighteous  man 
than  condemn  him  ?  But  theologians  have  confounded  "deeds 
of  law,"  predicated  of  the  government  of  law,  and  irrespec- 
tive of  a  mediator,  so  much  with  "works"  performed  under  the 
mediatorial  administration  of  the  gospel,  that  every  plain 
reader  of  the  bible  is  thrown  into  perpetual  perplexities,  and 
no  one  can  tell  the  precise  place  or  value  of  good  works. — 
True  they  tell  us,  that  good  works  are  evidences;  but  are 
not  deeds  of  law  evidences  too?  The  question  is  not  fair- 
ly stated,  and  hence  the  difficulties  which  have  arisen. 

I  may,  perhaps,  be  censured,  as  having  left  out  of  view 
altogether,  the  atonement.  But  this  certainly  is  misap- 
prehension. For  I  have  been  most  carefully  portraying 
the  reconciliation  to  your  view.  Go  back  again,  and  see 
if  such  be  not  the  fact.  I  have  not  used  the  word — atone- 
ment. And  are  all  your  ideas  to  be  thrown  into  con- 
fusion, your  prejudices  to  be  called  up  in  all  their  vigor, 
and  a  scriptural  argument  to  be  scorned  as  unworthy  of  con- 
sideration, because  a  particular  word  has  not  been  used  ? 
Do  you  not  see,  what  unhappy  strife  has  been  gendered  by 
words  ? — Oh,  but  the  word  atonement  is  too  important  to  have 
been  left  out.  Then  I  must  assign  my  reasons  for  the  omis- 
sion.    And, 

1.  After  all  the  talk  about  it,  the  word  occurs  in  our  transla- 
tion of  the  new  testament  but  once  ;t  and  there,  as  every  greek 
scholar  knows,  the  original  term  so  translated,  ought  to  have 
been  rendered  reconciliation.  What  then  is  the  meaning  of 
all  this  difficulty,  which  is  so  constantly  felt  in  relation  to  it  ? 
One  would  have  supposed  that  the  word  occurred  on  every 
page  of  the  new  testament. — It  will  not  do  to  reply  that  the 
thing  itself  is  every  where  presented;  for  the  thing  itself,  I 
have  endeavored  most  faithfully  to  describe. 

2.  The  etymology  of  the  word  evinces  it  to  be  per- 
fectly consistent  with  the  argument  stated.  Ment  is  the 
common  termination  adopted  to  form  a  noun :  as  for  exam- 
ple— punish-??jen£;  blandish-??*^;  refresh-«?e/^;  accomplish- 
ment.  So  here,  atone-mewf.  The  termination  ment  is  mere- 
ly added  to  the  two  words  at  and  one,  and  makes  at-one- 
ment,  which  means  the  being  at  one,  or  agreed,  or  recon- 
ciled. 

3.  The  word  has  a  technicality  about  it,  which  employs  it 
to  represent  something  in  theological  controversy,  that  is 
different  from  the  thing  which  it  is  intended  to  designate. 

*Matt.  xii.  36,  37.  fRom.  v.  11. 


224  LECTURES  ON 

I  shall  hereafter  use  the  term  in  this  particular  sense,  or 
as  importing  reconciliation. 

This  mediatorial  work,  Christ  as  a  prophet  proclaims  ;  as  a 
priest  he  performs  it;  and  as  a  king  he  has  been  exalted  to 
administer,  or  reign  on  its  principles.  He  is  "a  merciful  and 
faithful  high  priest,"  he  is  exalted  to  be  "a  prince  and  a  Sa- 
viour to  give  or  grant,  repentance  unto  Israel  and  remission 
of  sins;" — and  this  is  the  mediatorial  administration  under 
which  we  all  live ;  under  which  all  have  lived  from  the  be- 
ginning; and  by  which  all  shall  be  judged  at  last. — May 
God  Almighty  give  us  wisdom  to  appreciate  the  privileges 
of  grace,  that  we  may  be  found  ready  for  judgment  at  last, 
and  that  it  may  not  be  our  condemnation  that  we  refused 
to  believe  in  and  obey  him,  who  by  his  righteousness  has 
brought  us  all  into  a  justification  of  life. 


LECTURE  X. 

Application  of  the  mediatorial  constitution. —  General  Views. 
— Election.' — Nature  and  Reason  of  the  two  dispensations. 
—  Condition  of  the  gentiles. — Light  of  Nature. — Ishmael 
and  Isaac. — Esau  and  Jacob. — Type  of  the  Potter. — Pha- 
raoh.—  General  reasonings. 

The  extent  of  the  mediatorial  institute  is  a  subject  of  very 
great  interest.  No  theological  point  has  called  forth  more 
argument,  or  excited  more  feeling.  It  has  already  been  pre- 
sented incidentally  in  the  preceding  lecture.  The  nature 
of  the  institute  could  not  have  been  discussed,  without  stat- 
ing its  extent ;  because  the  terms  of  the  apostolic  argument, 
which  I  have  been  endeavoring  to  analyse,  included  both 
subjects.  In  fact,  the  nature  of  the  redeemer's  work  can- 
not else  be  ascertained.  If  Adam's  transgression  involved 
the  whole  race,  so  that  all  are  constituted  sinners  and  are 
brought  into  condemnation;  and  Christ's  righteousness  did 
not  extend  to  the  whole  race,  so  that  all  are  constituted 
righteous,  and  are  brought  into  justification  of  life  ;  then  Adam 
could  not  have  been  a  figure  of  Christ.  Much  less  could 
the  abounding  of  grace  over  sin  have  been  sustained.  Such 
is  the  view  afforded  by  the  apostle  ; — a  view  which  includes 
both  the  efficacy  and  the  application  of  the  remedial  statute. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  225 

All  the  general  principles  on  which  I  have  been  reasoning 
lead  to  the  same  result.  Jill  mankind  have  been  brought  in- 
to a  state  of  sin  and  condemnation  by  a  fault  not  their  own; 
all  the  principles  of  justice  and  equity,  from  which  the  medi- 
atorial constitution  itself  arises,  are  necessarily  due  to  all 
and  necessarily  applicable  to  all.  The  theological  restric- 
tions which  have  been  arbitrarily  imposed,  and  ingeniously, 
and  variously  defended,  instead  of  conferring  a  favor  on  some, 
take  away  a  right  from  all ; — a  right  belonging  to  man's 
existence,  and  awarded  by  the  very  constitution  of  our  being. 

The  divine  attributes,  of  which  the  mediatorial  constitu- 
tion forms  so  beautiful  a  display,  necessarily  bring  all  men 
under  the  remedial  operation  which  that  constitution  has  in- 
troduced. Controvertists  speak  of  the  goodness,  and  wisdom, 
and  power,  and  righteousness  of  Jehovah,  in  a  system  of  gov- 
ernment which  does  not  respond  to  the  personal  responsibility 
of  its  subjects;  which  not  only  leaves  them  unpitied  and 
unassisted  in  a  train  of  sorrows  and  infirmities,  that  are  not 
to  be  traced  to  their  own  sin  ;  but  which  condemns  them  as 
personally  responsible  under  its  administration,  and  for  fa- 
vors and  privileges  that  have  not  been  bestowed.  It  is  im- 
possible that  any  argument  should  justify  such  proceedings; 
or  that  the  scriptures  should  state  any  views  of  the  divine 
character  so  inconsistent  with  its  essential  attributes. 

The  nature  of  man,  as  being  qualified  to  acquire  ideas  by 
means  of  his  external  senses,  renders  it  as  practicable  to  ap- 
ply a  remedial  ordinance  to  all  as  to  one.  One  man  will 
be,  on  all  accurate  and  consistent  principles,  as  responsible 
as  another  man,  for  that  which  he  sees,  hears,  and  has  a 
"heart  to  understand"  And  no  reason  can  be  assigned  why 
any  man  should  not  be  under  the  common  moral  responsi- 
bilities of  the  divine  government,  any  more  than  that  a  rea- 
son can  be  assigned  why  any  man  shall  not  enjoy  the  com- 
mon privileges  of  his  existence. 

The  nature  of  the  remedial  institute,  or  of  the  mediatorial 
righteousness  of  the  Son  of  God,  being,  as  has  been  shown, 
an  external  exhibition  addressed  to  the  human  spirit  through 
the  bodily  senses,  brings  one  man  within  its  range  as  well 
as  another  man.  A  doctrine  of  election  cannot  be  sustain- 
ed under  those  circumstances,  which  excludes  any  man  from 
seeing,  hearing  or  knowing.  And  hence  it  is,  that  the  con- 
demnation of  men  does  not  consist  in  this,  that  there  was 
no  light,  but  that  the  light  did  shine,  and  they  loved  dark- 
ness rather  than  liofht,  because  their  deeds  were  evil.    Their 


226  LECTURES  ON 

condemnation  is  this — "That  which  may  be  known  of  God, 
is  manifest  among  them;  for  God  hath  showed  it  unto 
them." — But  "they  hold  the  truth  in  unrighteousness; — 
when  they  knew  God,  they  glorified  him  not  as  God  ; — they 
did  not  like  to  retain  God  in  their  knowledge."  Such  are  the 
scriptural  comments  on  the  subject.  God  does  not,  by  any 
sovereign  legislation,  render  it  impossible  for  men  to  know, 
love,  and  obey  the  truth.  The  mediatorial  righteousness  of 
the  second  Adam,  is  like  the  sun  in  the  firmament,  intended 
for  all — and  all  may  enjoy  the  light  and  heat  if  they  will. 
Our  ecclesiastical  lords  would  limit  divine  grace,  and  curtail 
the  blessings  of  reconciliation  by  arbitrary  statute  ;  but  God 
spreads  his  tender  mercies  over  all  his  icorks. 

These  general  principles  have,  however,  been  already 
sufficiently  elucidated.  Let  us  then  rather  seek  the  contro- 
versial ground  ;  and  endeavor  to  estimate  the  circumstances, 
from  which  the  restrictions,  that  some  theologians  defend 
with  so  much  acrimony,  are  supposed  to  arise ;  as  it  is  evi- 
dent that  the  nature  of  the  case  calls  for  an  act  of  legislation 
which  shall  be  as  universal,  as  it  is  necessary.  This  I 
will  do,  after  noticing  one  farther  matter,  which  ought  not 
to  be  omitted.  In  the  chapters  before  us,  it  is  certainly  as 
plain,  that  the  promise  given  after  the  fall,  expresses  the 
mode  of  administration  to  which  Adam  and  his  children 
were  subjected;  as  that  the  law,  promulged  in  paradise,  inclu- 
ded himself  and  children  in  its  operations.  They  were  all 
without  any  exception,  exposed  to  death,  reduced  to  toil  and 
sorrow,  and  involved  alike  in  the  same  knowledge  of  good 
and  evil.  They  all  have  the  same  attributes  of  character, 
the  same  faculties,  both  mental  and  corporeal,  and  are  placed 
in  the  same  circumstances  of  life. 

It  may  be  said  that  all  these  things  were  the  results  of 
Adam's  sin,  and  prove  nothing  in  favor  of  our  argument.  Be 
patient  for  a  moment. — Theologians  do  not  mean  to  aban- 
don their  own  ground,  as  that  was  formerly  exhibited:  viz. 
that  the  sentence  executed,  was  not  equal  to  the  sentence 
threatened.*  If  they  do  abandon  their  ground,  then  as  man- 
kind would  not  be  spiritually  dead  in  Adam,  they  would  of 
course  be  under  the  mediatorial  institute.  If  theologians  do 
not  abandon  that  ground,  then,  by  their  own  showing,  all 
mankind  are  under  a  penalty,  whose  operations  are  restrict- 
ed by  the  mediatorial  institute.  They  may  take  either 
side  of  this  dilemma.     But  still  farther,  all  those  other  cir- 

*  Lecture  VI. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  227 

cumstances,  which  attended  on  the  early  annunciation  of 
the  Saviour,  and  which  were  purely  mediatorial  in  their  re- 
ferences, are  as  universal  in  their  application  as  the  conse- 
quences of  Adam's  sin.  The  enmity  between  mankind  and 
the  serpent ;  the  cherubim  ;  the  sacrificial  institution  ;  the 
idea  of  Jehovah  manifested  in  the  form  of  man,  or  of  a  vir- 
gin-born God — all  of  which  are  purely  evangelical,  are  every 
where  to  be  noticed  among  men,  or  go  as  far  as  death  and 
the  knowledge-of  good  and  evil  have  gone.  Or  if  these  dis- 
tinct matters  are  lacking  under  any  particular  condition  of 
society,  the  mediatorial  idea,  is  prominent  in  some  peculiar 
and  interesting  form. — The  universality  of  the  mediatorial 
symbols,  offers  an  irrefragable  argument  in  behalf  of  the  uni- 
versality of  ihe  institute  itself.  While  all  these  things  are 
plain  and  palpable,  there  is  not,  even  the  most  distant,  hint 
of  any  election  restricting  the  operation,  or  application  of  the 
mediatorial  plan.  Election  comes  into  view  long  after- 
wards, and  for  specific  purposes,  which  shall  be  stated  in 
their  own  place.  The  mediatorial  institute  is  the  present, 
and  the  gracious,  legislation  of  divine  wisdom,  framed  in  coin- 
cidence with  man's  personal  responsibilities ;  and  you  must 
either  admit  its  universality,  or  deny  those  responsibilities. 

The  particular  text  which  I  have  quoted  as  interchangea- 
ble with  the  first  promise,  and  which  I  selected  on  account 
of  the  precision  of  its  terms,  ascribes  the  very  same  latitude 
to  the  mediatorial  work. — "  God  was  in  Christ,  reconciling 
the  word  unto  himself:" — The  world. — I  am  fully  aware 
of  the  exception  which  may  be  taken  to  this  term  ;  inasmuch 
as  it  is  sometimes  to  be  understood  in  a  limited  sense.  But 
it  is  not  always  to  be  so  considered.  The  exception  may  be 
cheerfully  conceded ;  and  yet,  notwithstanding,  the  most 
fastidious  theologue  must  admit  that  the  world  may  mean 
the  world.  And  perhaps,  when  he  shall  carefully  observe 
the  use  of  the  term  in  the  new  testament,  he  may  find  it 
utterly  impossible  to  sustain  its  limited  sense,  in  application  to 
the  redeemer's  kingdom,  by  any  ingenuity  which  he  may  em- 
ploy. This  philological  difficulty  I  shall  now  endeavor  to 
bring  distinctly  to  his  view  :  and  for  this  purpose,  shall  ar- 
range the  texts  I  may  quote  in  three  distinct  classes. 

1.  "The  Word  was  in  the  beginning  with  God,  and  the 
Word  was  God.  All  things  were  made  by  him;  and  with- 
out him  was  not  any  thing  made,  that  was  made. — He  was 
in  the  world,  and  the  world  was  made  by  him,  and  the  world 


.^s  LECTURES  ON 

knew  him  not."*  The  idea  here  asserted  is  very  frequently 
stated  in  the  scriptures  in  other  language:  thus — "By  him 
were  all  things  created  that  are  in  heaven,  and  that  are 
in  earth,  visible  and  invisible. '"T  He  is  "the  heir  of  all 
things."}  Throughout  the  old  testament  too  the  God  of 
Israel  is  continually  represented  as  the  creator  of  heaven 
and  earth. 

To  the  Word  also  has  been  ascribed  the  whole  work  of 
a  sustaining  and  overruling  providence. — "  "\\  ho  being  the 
brightness  of  glory,  and  the  express  image  of  his  person, 
and  upholding  all  things  by  the  word  of  his  power.'  §  "By 
him  all  things  con?ist."|| 

The  remark  that  I  wish  to  make  upon  this  class  of  texts, 
which  every  reader  of  the  scriptures  knows  might  have  been 
much  enlarged,  is.  that  the  world,  meaning  all  things. 
was  made  by  him  who  was  :;  in  the  form  of  God."  Of 
course,  when  :i  the  Word  was  made  flesh,"  and  tabernacled 
among  men,  he  came  into  his  own  world,  which  he  himself 
had  framed,  and  which  he  continually  upheld.  Hence  the 
apostle  John  remarks. — ;;  He  came  unto  hi*  own.  and  his 
own  received  him  not."''  What  is  there  then  unseemly  or 
inconzruous.in  theideathattheredeemershould  come  to  save 
and  bless  his  own  ?  It  may  be  replied,  that  the  apostle  refers, 
in  that  phrase,  to  the  Jewish  nation.  That  may,  or  may  not 
be  so.  It  mav  not  be  so,  because  they  who  did  not  receive 
him.  were  those  who  did  not  know  him:  but  they  are  not 
stated  to  be  the  jews  ;  for  in  the  preceding  verse  it  is  said. — 
••  He  was  in  the  world,  and  the  world  was  made  by  him.  and 
the  world  knew  him  not."  But  let  the  term,  his  own.  be 
restricted  to  the  jew?  ;  yet  still  hi*  own  did  not  receive  him  ; 
and  of  course  nothing  is  made  out  for  the  "limited  atone- 
ment." which  is  appropriated  to  the  elect  ;  because  the 
elect,  agreeably  with  the  doctrine  maintained  concerning 
them,  will  receive  him.  And  if.  by  any  show  of  argument, 
the  elect  could  here  be  introduced  as  the  objects  of  his  me- 
diatorial kindness,  yet  they  become  so.  by  virtue  of  his 
particular  property  in  them,  as  being  given  to  him  by  the 
Father.  But  this  idea  of  property,  will  destroy  the  argument 
it  is  intended  to  support :  for  the  whole  world  is  his  proper- 
ty, inasmuch  as  he  made  it.  So  also  Paul  reasons,  in  his 
epistle  to  the  Hebrews. H      Nor  can   any  fair  reason  be  as. 

•John  i.  1  —  10.  5  Heb.  i.  3. 

tCol.  i.  16.  II  Col.  i.  17. 

+  Heb.  i.  2.  TCh.  iii.  3—6. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  229 

signed,  why  the  redeemer,  as  being  God  manifested,  should 
not  bless  the  world  ;  seeing  that  the  creator,  by  whom  the 
world  was  made,  was  God  manifested. 

2.  The  redeemer  is  declared  to  be  invested  with  all  power ^ 
in  heaven  and  in  earth  ;  to  have  all  things  put  under  his 
feet;  to  be  the  head  over  all  things ;  unto  whom  every  knee 
shall  bow,  and  every  tongue  shall  swear.  He  is  also  said 
to  be  "  the  seed  "  of  Abraham  ;  and  Abraham  is  designated 
as  "  the  heir  of  the  world  ;"  and  that  too  by  virtue  of  the 
righteousness  of  faith.  Noah  also,  who,  every  one  knows, 
was  the  heir  of  the  world,  is  emphatically  styled  ''the  heir 
of  the  righteousness  of  faith;"  of  course,  then,  the  world, 
as  such,  has  a  deep  interest  in  all  that  belongs  to  the  right- 
eousness of  faith,  which  is  the  very  peculiarity  of  the  media- 
torial institute  ;  so  that  Christ,  as  mediator,  has  the  whole 
world  put  into  his  hand;  governs  it  by  mediatorial  law, 
and  awards  to  it  mediatorial  privileges. 

It  is  true,  that  various  dispensations  have  been  established, 
some  of  which  have  conferred  their  special  favors  on  cer- 
tain portions  of  mankind.  The  patriarchal  dispensation, 
erected  with  Adam,  and  afterwards  revived  with  Noah, 
was  universal  in  its  application.  It  was  mediatorial,  for  its 
characteristic  was  the  righteousness  of  faith;  and  yet  it  was 
co-extensive  with  the  world.  The  mosaic  dispensation 
was  confined  to  the  jews.  .  And  the  new  testament  dispen- 
sation has,  thus  far,  been  actually  confined  to  a  part  of  the 
gentiles.  But  these  two  latter  dispensations  were  not  de- 
signed to  shut  out  the  rest  of  the  world  from  the  benefits  of 
the  first,  as  though  they  had  no  interest  in  the  righteousness 
of  faith,  which  had  been  preached  to  them  from  the  begin- 
ning. So  far  from  such  a  denunciation  being  the  object  of 
the  two  subsequent  "  ministrations,"  they,  in  common  with 
the  first  dispensation,  were  set  up  by  the  redeemer  himself; 
as  Paul  explicitly  declares: — "  God  hath,"  says  he,  "in 
these  last  days  spoken  unto  us  by  his  Son,  whom  he  hath 
appointed  heir  of  all  thtngs,  by  whom  also  he  made  the 
worlds,  or  dispensations,  or  ages.  The  Jewish  ritual  he  en- 
acted as  "being  in  the  form  of  God,"  and  the  gospel  he  has 
proclaimed  as  "the  Word  made  flesh."  Both  of  these,  the 
law  and  the  gospel,  he  has  established  for  special  purposes, 
which  I  shall  presently  undertake  to  explain;  but  neither 
of  them  was  intended  to  set  aside,  or  to  revoke,  mediatorial 
law,  as  given  to  all  men  immediately  after  the  fall ;  and  there- 
20 


230  LECTURES  ON 

fore  neither  of  them  militates  against  the  broad  fact  that  he 
is  the  saviour  of  the  world. 

3.  If  you  will  carry  along  with  you  the  two  previous  clas- 
ses of  texts,  which  I  have  quoted,  you  will  be  prepared  to 
see  the  full  force  and  beauty  of  those  which  follow. — "He 
that  sowed  the  good  seed  is  the  Son  of  man ;  the  field  is  the 
world.  "God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  be- 
gotten Son." — "  God  sent  not  his  Son  into  the  world,  to 
condemn  the  world,  but  that  the  world  through  him  might  be 
saved." — "And  this  is  the  condemnation,  that  light  is  come 
into  the  world,  and  men  loved  darkness  rather  than  light." 
11  The  gospel — which  is  come  to  you,  as  it  is  in  all  the  world.'7 
"And  we  have  seen  and  do  testify,  that  the  Father  sent  the 
Son  to  be  the  saviour  of  the  world."- — "  And  he  is  the  propi- 
tiation for  our  sins  ;  and  not  for  ours  only,  but  also  for  the 
sins  of  the  whole  world.'1 — "Who  will  have  all  men  to  be 
saved,  and  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth." — "We 
trust  in  the  living  God,  who  is  the  saviour  of  all  men,  spe- 
cially of  those  that  believe." — "For  the  grace  of  God  that 
bringeth  salvation,  hath  appeared  unto  all  men." 

These  texts  seem  to  be  sufficiently  explicit,  and  have  af- 
forded ample  scope  to  the  textual  expositor  to  display  his 
ingenuity,  in  forcing  them  under  sectarian  restrictions.  Nor 
is  any  thing  more  easy,  or  injudicious,  than  to  embarrass  a 
momentous  subject  by  verbal  criticism,  as  the  whole  of  moral 
-science  has  sufficiently  demonstrated.  Few  reason  on  gene- 
ral principles  ;  and  a  little  philological  acumen  enables  a 
sectarian  to  carry  his  party  feelings  and  views  a  great  length. 
The  present  subject  has  been  long  abused  by  this  technical 
refinement.  But  if  you  shall  recollect  and  apply  the  gene- 
ral views  which  have  been  stated,  you  will  find  them  adequate 
to  disembarrass  your  own  mind;  and  you  will  feel  that  a  just 
interpretation  of  scriptural  terms  will  throw  no  impediments 
in  your  way. 

The  real  truth,  however,  is,  that  the  doctrine  of  a  "lim- 
ited, or  definite  atonement,"  is  necessary  to  maintain  the 
doctrine  of  "  election,"  individually  considered,  which  has 
been  so  zealously  advocated.  They  are  twin  sisters.  Our 
argument,  therefore,  necessarily  requires,  that  we  should 
endeavor  to  ascertain  the  biblical  form  of  election.  That 
there  is  an  election  asserted  in  the  scriptures,  no  one  can 
deny.  It  appears  there,  plain  and  distinct,  both  in  language 
and  fact ;  to  evade  it  is  childish,  and  to  oppose  it  is  dishonest. 
But  to  explain  it,  fairly  belongs  to  the  expositor;  and  on  no 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  231 

class  of  expositors  is  the  responsibility  to  explain  more  im- 
periously pressing  than  on  those,  who  maintain  that  each 
individual  is  personally  accountable. 

To  me  it  seems,  that  election,  as  stated  in  the  scriptures, 
is  purely  official;  or  if  there  be  any  exception  to  this  view, 
it  shall  be  explained  in  its  own  place.  I  mean  to  say,  that 
according  to  the  scriptures,  election  is  an  appendage  of 
the  two  dispensations,  which  have  been  introduced  since 
the  call  of  Abraham.  Certain  it  is,  that  God  did  at  one 
time  elect  the  jews,  and  that  at  another  time,  he  did  elect  the 
gentiles,  to  be  his  particular  people.  In  the  one  case,  then, 
the  jews,  and  in  the  other  case,  the  gentiles,  would  very 
properly  be  called  God's  elect.  They  severally  stood  in  a 
peculiar  relation  to  him,  according  to  a  "  purpose  of  elec- 
tion." This  statement  is  not  to  be  controverted  ;  for  the 
scriptures  have  presented  it  in  full  delineation,  both  histori- 
cally and  doctrinally. 

Election,  however,  has  been  considered  as  a  divine 
purpose,  setting  apart  a  certain  number  of  mankind,  which 
number  can  neither  be  increased  nor  diminished,  to  ever- 
lasting life ;  and  reprobating,  or  passing  by,  the  rest,  as  heirs 
of  eternal  death.  But  supposing,  as  I  do,  that  election  is 
co-eval  with  the  two  dispensations,  that  a  view  of  it,  seems 
to  me  to  be  a  palpable  abuse  of  its  terms  and  design.  Nor 
only  so;  but  it  also  appears  to  me  that  God  himself,  fore- 
seeing the  misinterpretation  of  his  own  high  and  holy 
purposes,  framed  the  abrahamic  covenant,  in  order  to  pre- 
serve the  integrity  of  the  mediatorial  constitution;  and  to 
prevent  any  collision  between  the  two  latter  covenants,  and 
the  gospel  scheme  itself.  To  explain.  The  mosaic  ritual 
was  enacted  under  the  covenant  made  with  Abraham;  and 
under  the  christian  economy,  all  believers  are  said  to  be 
the  children  of  Abraham.  Of  course,  the  law  given  by 
Moses,  could  not,  as  Paul  argues  in  his  epistle  to  the  gala- 
tians,  be  contrary  to  the  promise  given  to  Abraham.  His 
language  is  very  explicit — "And  this,  I  say,"  he  observes, 
"that  the  covenant,  that  was  confirmed  before  of  God  in 
Christ,  the  law,  which  was  four  hundred  and  thirty  years  after, 
cannot  disannul,  that  it  should  make  the  promise  of  none 
effect."*  Now  the  promise  was  given  to  Abraham  as  "the 
heir  of  the  world,"  and  did  actually  constitute  him  such. 
Thus  it  is  expressed  :-^<'In  thee  shall  all  nations  be  blessed." 
That  is,  the  promise  given  to  Abraham  included  all  nations  ; 

•  Gal.  Ui.  17. 


232  LECTURES  ON 

the  law  given  by  Moses,  included  only  the  nation  of  the 
jews,  as  God's  elected  people.  Of  course,  if  there  be 
any  meaning  in  terms,  the  limited  operation  of  the  law 
given  to  the  jews,  as  Jehovah's  elect,  was  not  intended  to 
countervail  the  universality  of  the  gospel,  preached  to 
Abraham  as  the  heir  of  the  world.  Accordingly,  when  the 
apostle  finds  the  jews  reasoning  on  erroneous  views,  in  re- 
lation to  their  own  peculiar  privileges,  and  arguing  the  re- 
jection, or  reprobation,  or  passing  by,  of  all  the  rest  of  the 
world,  as  though  they  had  no  interest  in  the  gospel,  he  flies 
at  once  to  the  abrahamic  covenant,  in  order  to  demonstrate 
their  error.  Such  in  fact,  is  the  very  argument  he  maintains, 
in  the  very  epistle  and  chapter  from  which  our  quotation 
has  been  made.  Changing  terms,  we  conceive  that  his  ar- 
gument is  equally  applicable  to  the  ideas  of  God's  purpose 
of  election,  which  have  since  been  so  strenuously  main- 
tained. 

The  relative  position  of  these  different  covenants,  appears 
to  be  as  follows : — After  the  fall,  when  God  gave  the  pro- 
mise of  the  seed  of  the  woman,  he  made  Adam,  a  second 
time,  a  covenant  head  to  his  race;  or,  if  you  please,  a  pa- 
triarchal chief.  Through  him,  he  promulgated  to  the  world, 
the  mediatorial  institute,  or,  as  Paul  would  express  it, 
"the  righteousness  of  faith."  After  the  deluge,  he  invested 
Noah  with  this  official  pre-eminence  ;  and  thus  again  pro- 
claimed to  the  world  the  righteousness  of  faith.  In  process 
of  time  an  emergency  occurred,  which  required  a  divine 
interference,  and  a  new  act  of  legislation  became  necessary. 
Nor  was  it  an  easy  matter  to  interfere,  because  any  mea- 
sures which  might  be  adopted,  would  necessarily  affect 
the  organization  of  society.  On  a  former  occasion,  and  un- 
der a  similar  emergency,  the  process  which  the  great  gover- 
nor of  the  world  adopted,  and  which  he  promised  never 
again  to  repeat,  while  time  should  last,  was  summary  and 
terrible; — he  brought  in  the  flood;  and  the  whole  race,  with 
a  very  small  exception,  perished  beneath  his  awful  rebuke. 
Now  again  he  comes  down  in  judgment;  yet  under  promise 
that  he  would  not  again  desolate  the  earth.  But  what 
should  he  do  ?  It  is  manifest,  that  however  lenient  his  pro- 
ceedings might  be,  a  new  organization  must  take  place  : 
and  an  organization  which,  whatever  its  provisions  might 
be,  must  not  make  matters  worse  than  it  found  them.  The 
plan  which  infinite  wisdom  devised,  and  which  has  been 
styled  the  mystery  of  the  divine  will,  eventually  proved  to 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  233 

be  this  very  election,  of  which  the  scriptures  so  frequently 
speak.  God  intended  thereby  to  relieve  the  new  series  of 
difficulties  which  had  occurred.  And  accordingly  Paul 
traces  up  the  law  of  Moses  to  them,  as  their  origin  ;  for  he 
asserts  that  "the  law  was  added  because  of  corruptions,"* 
which  had  been  introduced. 

Election  ? — But  the  whole  world  had  become  corrupted ; 
Abraham  himself  and  his  fathers  were  idolaters.!  Thus  the 
elected  alone  could  enjoy  divine  favors,  and  the  rest  of 
mankind  would  be  reprobated,  or  passed  by.  Jehovah  would 
be  the  God  of  the  jews,  but  not  the  God  of  the  gentiles. 
Not  at  all,  says  the  apostle.  He  is  "the  God  of  the  gentiles 
also;  seeing  it  is  one  God  who  shall  justify  the  circumcision 
by  faith,  and  the  uncircumcision  through  faith,  t"  Not  at 
all,  says  Moses  ;  for  Abraham  was  the  heir  of  the  world; 
all  nations  were  to  be  blessed  in  him,  as  they  had  been  in 
Noah,  and  Adam  before  him.  He  was  exalted  to  the  same 
official  pre-eminence;  and  secured  the  same  evangelical 
boon,  even  the  righteousness  of  faith.  And  the  purpose  of 
election,  which  was  carried  out  into  execution  four  hundred 
and  thirty  years  after,  could  not,  and  did  not,  interfere  with 
the  righteousness  of  faith,  in  which  all  mankind  had  a  like 
interest.     Manifestly  then, 

I.  The  gentiles  were  still  under  the  patriarchal  dispensa- 
tion;  which  was  mediatorial  in  all  its  attributes,  and  had 
conveyed  to  them  all  its  ordinances.  Wretchedly  as  they 
corrupted  the  revelation  which  had  been  made  from  the  be- 
ginning, and  repeated  by  Noah,  yet  the  incarnation  and 
sacrifice  of  the  Son  of  God,  as  promised  and  typified,  were 
the  very  sources  of  their  exceedingly  strange  mythology. 
They  were  not  removed  from  the  influence  of  patriarchal 
privileges;  but  while  they  became  more  and  more  idolatrous, 
their  very  idolatry  proclaims  their  evangelical  origin.  It  is 
no  uncommon  thing  for  theologians  to  urge  the  universality 
of  sacrifice  in  proof  of  its  divine  authenticity. 

2.  The  whole  series  of  transactions  with  which  Jehovah 
filled  up  the  israelitish  history,  was  done  before,  or  in  pre- 
sence of,  the  gentiles.  Egypt  marvelled,  and  Canaan  trem- 
bled. These  things  were  not  done  in  a  corner.  All  men 
heard  of  them  ;  all'men  saw  them.  "These  statutes,"  said 
Moses  to  them,  "are  your  wisdom  and  understanding  in  the 
sight  of  the  nations,  which  shall  hear  all  these  statutes,  and 
say, — Surely  this  great  nation  is  a  wise  and  understanding 

*  Gal.  iii.  19.  f  Josh.  xxiv.  2.  t  Rom.  iii.  29—30. 

20* 


234  LECTURES  ON 

people."*  Considered,  therefore,  as  having  an  official  char- 
acter, the  mosaic  ritual  was  a  luminous  and  instructive  dis- 
play to  the  gentiles  themselves;  which  might  have  checked 
their  idolatrous  career,  and  taught  them  the  most  profitable 
lessons.  So  that  the  purpose  of  election,  which  consecrated 
the  jews  as  a  peculiar  people,  did  not  involve  the  reproba- 
tion of  the  gentiles. 

3.  The  gentiles  having  these  avital  privileges,  and  others 
which  occurred  to  them  from  the  election  itself,  the  apostle 
Paul,  in  his  great  epistle  to  the  romans, — where  he  is  ar- 
guing on  the  grand  principles  of  Jehovah's  moral  govern- 
ment, and  that  too  in  view  of  the  purpose  of  election, — 
declares  that  they  are  not  condemned,  saving  for  their  own 
fault.  His  reasoning  is  very  plain.  "That  which  may  be 
known  of  God,"  he  observes,  "is  manifest  in  (among)  them; 
for  God  hath  showed  it  unto  them.  For  the  invisible  things 
of  him  from  the  creation  of  the  world,  are  clearly  seen, 
being  understood  by  the  things  that  are  made,  even  his 
eternal  power  and  godhead  ;  so  that  they  are  vnthout  excuse; 
because  that,  when  they  knew  God,  they  glorified  him  not  as 
God,  neither  were  thankful,  but  became  vain  in  their  imagi- 
nation, and  their  foolish  heart  was  darkened.  Even  as  they 
did  not  like  to  retain  God  in  their  knowledge,  God  gave  them 
up  to  a  reprobate  mind."  Surely  such  a  case  is  not  to  be 
resolved  into  an  inscrutable  sovereignty,  whose  proceedings 
are  aside  of  any  known  judicial  principles  :  neither  does 
any  difficulty  occur,  too  great  for  our  minds  to  reach; 
the  reasons  of  which  belong  to  the  awful  secrets,  which  the 
last  day  shall  disclose.     The  whole  matter  is  very  plain. 

But  the  apostle  goes  further  in  his  explanatory  statements ; 
and  shows,  that  the  gentiles  not  only  have  the  outward  man- 
ifestation of  which  he  had  spoken,  but  that  they  have  per- 
sonal qualifications  of  a  corresponding  character  and  ex- 
tent. "For,"  says  he,  "when  the  gentiles,  which  have  not 
the  law,  do  by  nature  the  things  contained  in  the  law,  these, 
having  not  the  law,  are  a  law  unto  themselves;  which 
show  the  work  of  the  law,  written  in  their  hearts,  their  con- 
science also  bearing  witness,  and  their  thoughts  the  mean- 
while accusing,  or  else  excusing,  one  another."  Surely 
the  gentiles  are  not  destitute  of  moral  attributes;  for  they 
"show  the  work  of  the  law  written  in  their  hearts;"  neither 
are  they  incapable  of  exercising  their  moral  powers,  for  they 
do  by  nature    the  things  contained  in  the  law,  and   their 

*  Deut.  iv.  6. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  235 

consciences  are  ever  bearing  witness.  Moral  questions 
and  judicial  principles  are  familiar  to  them,  for  they  are 
ever  debating  such  things  with  one  another. 

The  apostle  does  not  leave  us  yet;  but  states  distinctly 
the  relative  condition  of  the  gentiles.  The  jews,  he  says, 
have  the  law  of  Moses;  and  the  gentiles  have  not  the  law 
of  Moses.  The  jews  do  under  the  law  of  Moses,  what 
the  gentiles  do  by  nature.  Of  course,  the  jew  shall  be 
judged  by  the  law  of  Moses,  under  which  he  has  been 
placed;  but.  the  gentile  shall  be  judged  without  the  law  of 
Moses.  Both  shall  be  called  into  judgment,  and  shall  be 
dealt  with  according  to  their  circumstances.  The  gentile 
who  has  sinned  without  the  law  of  Moses,  shall  perish  with- 
out the  law  of  Moses  ;  and  the  jew  who  has  sinned  in 
(under)  the  law  of  Moses,  shall  be  judged  by  the  law  of 
Moses.  And  this  judgment,  which  shall  call  up  the  secrets 
of  men,  shall  be  conducted  by  Jesus  Christ,  and  according 
to  the  gospel:  so  that  the  gentile,  who  cannot  be  judged  by 
the  law  of  Moses,  because  he  is  not  under  it,  must  be  under 
the  gospel,  seeing  that  he  shall  be  judged  "according  to 
the  gospel." 

To  draw  out  the  case  at  full  length,  says  the  apostle ; — ■ 
"God  will  render  unto  every  man  according  to  his  deeds; 
to  them  who  by  patient  continuance  in  well  doing,  seek  for 
glory,  and  honor,  and  immortality,  he  will  render  eternal 
life  :  but  unto  them  that  are  contentious,  and  do  not  obey 
the  truth,  but  obey  unrighteousness,  he  will  render  indigna- 
tion and  wrath.  He  will  render  tribulation  and  anguish, 
upon  every  soul  of  man  that  doeth  evil:  of  the  jew  first, 
and  also  of  the  gentile;  but  he  will  render  glory,  honor,  and 
peace,  to  every  man  that  worketh  good;  to  the  jew  first, 
and  also  to  the  gentile.  For  there  is  no  respect  of  persons 
with  God."  This  statement,  one  would  think,  might  satisfy 
the  most  fastidious  theologian,  and  demonstrate  to  him  that 
the  gentile, — that  the  whole  world, — is  not  under  law,  but 
under  the  mediatorial  institute. 

One  other  view,  may,  however,  yet  present  itself,  in  which 
the  scriptures  sustain  a  comparison  between  jews  and  gen- 
tiles. Our  apostle,  in  this  same  epistle,  describes  the  jews 
as  living  under  divine  forbearance.  "Dost  thou,"  says  he, 
addressing  himself  to  the  jew,  "despise  the  riches  of  his 
goodness,  and  forbearance,  and  long  suffering;  not  knowing 
that  the  goodness  of  God  leadeth  thee  to   repentance  ?"* 

*  Rom.  ii.  4. 


236  LECTURES  ON 

Again  he  asserts,  that  "God  hath  set  forth  Jesus  Christ  to 
be  a  propitiation,  through  faith  in  his  blood,  to  declare  his 
righteousness  for  the  remission  of  sins  that  are  past,  through 
the  forbearance  of  God."*  So  then  the  jew  is  governed  in 
forbearance. — The  apostle  elsewhere  declares  the  gentile 
to  be  similarly  situated.  "The  living  God,"  he  observes, 
"which  made  heaven  and  earth,  and  the  seas,  and  all  things 
that  are  therein,  in  times  past,  suffered  all  nations  to  walk 
in  their  own  way.  Nevertheless,  he  left  not  himself  without 
witness,  in  that  he  did  good,  and  gave  us  rain  from  heaven, 
and  fruitful  seasons,  filling  our  hearts  with  food  and  glad- 
ness."! And  again  : — "God  that  made  the  world,  and  all 
things  therein,  seeing  that  he  is  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth, 
dwelleth  not  in  temples  made  with  hands:  neither  is  wor- 
shipped with  men's  hands,  as  though  he  needed  any  thing, 
seeing  that  he  giveth  to  all,  life,  and  breath,  and  all  things; 
and  hath  made  of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men,  for  to  dwell 
on  all  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  hath  determined  the  times 
before  appointed,  and  the  bounds  of  their  habitation  ;  that 
they  should  seek  the  Lord,  if  haply  they  might  feel  after  him, 
and  find  him,  though  he  be  not  far  from  every  one  of  us: 
for  in  him  we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being;  as  cer- 
tain also  of  your  own  poets  have  said- — 'For  we  are  also  his 
offspring.'  Forasmuch  then  as  we  are  the  offspring  of 
God,  we  ought  not  to  think  that  the  godhead  is  like  unto 
gold,  or  silver,  or  stone,  graven  by  art  and  man's  device. 
And  the  times  of  this  ignorance  God  winked  at."t  From  all 
this  it  is  evident,  that  the  gentiles  were  objects  of  divine 
forbearance,  as  well  as  the  jews;  that  if  he  had  given  to  the 
latter  a  law,  the  first  had  his  witness  among  them,  preaching 
his  goodness,  and  urging  them  to  seek  him.  God's  "pur- 
pose of  election''  does  not  then  involve  the  reprobation,  or 
passing  by,  of  the  gentiles. 

According  to  this  train  of  argument,  it  may  be  asked, 
what  benefits  did  the  jews  derive  from  being  God's  elected 
people  ?  I  was  fully  aware  of  the  objection  implied  in  this 
question.  And  if  I  had  not  been,  the  apostle  himself  would 
have  warned  us  of  it.  The  argument  which  he  maintained, 
in  his  epistle  to  the  romans,  was  conceived  to  be  liable  to 
the  same  objection  ;  and  the  question  was  asked  of  him. — 
"What  advantage  then  hath  the  jew,  or  what  profit  is  there 
of  circumcision  ?"  To  this  he  promptly  replied, — "Much 
every  way ;   chiefly  because  that  unto  them  was  committed 

*  Rom.  iii.  25.        f  Acts  xiv.  15—17.       J  Acts  xvii.  24—30. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  237 

the  oracles  of  God."  They  had  favors  conferred  on  them, 
which  the  gentiles  did  not  receive.  To  the  Israelites  per- 
tained "the  adoption,  and  the  glory,  and  the  covenants, 
and  the  giving  of  the  law,  and  the  service  of  God,  and  the 
promises,  and  the  fathers;  and  of  them,  concerning  the 
flesh,  Christ  came,  who  is  over  all,  God  blessed  for  ever." 
All  these  privileges,  which  formed  so  peculiar  a  system  of 
tuition,  and  multiplied  so  much  the  means  of  obtaining  in- 
formation, were  surely  very  great,  and  presented  an  inter- 
esting spectacle  to  the  world.  But  they  were  not  so  great 
as  to  warrant  the  inference,  that  all  the  rest  of  the  world 
were  deprived  of  their  ancestorial  privileges  ;  that  the  pa- 
triarchal dispensation,  with  its  traditions  and  institutions, 
was  useless ;  that  the  non-elect  were  handed  over  to  per- 
dition. In  fact  the  jews  had  drawn  that  inference,  and  it 
was  one  of  the  apostle's  objects,  in  the  epistle  referred  to, 
to  show  its  total  irrelevancy.      We  leave  it  in  his  hands. 

Eut  there  is  another  point,  brought  up  to  view  by  the 
quotations  that  have  been  made,  and  which  is  entitled  to 
careful  consideration.  We  hear  a  great  deal  about  "the  light 
of  nature:"  and  it  forms  the  matter  of  debate  in  the  deist- 
ical  controversy.  Now  the  question  is, — what  is  the  light 
of  nature  ?  It  has  been  explained  as  the  light  which  Adam 
enjoyed  before  he  fell.  The  general  idea  on  the  subject,  it 
is  presumed,  is  different,  and  rather  views  the  light  of  na- 
ture as  opposed  to  revelation.  Strictly  speaking,  these  two 
views  are  the  same;  but  when  employed  in  actual  discus- 
sion, they  are  widely  different.  For  the  term  revelation  is 
then  confined  to  the  scriptures,  which  have  been  given  under 
the  two  dispensations.  All  those,  therefore,  who  have  not 
received  these  special  oracles,  live  under  the  light  of  nature. 
With  this  latter  view  I  agree  ;  but  I  cannot  adopt  the  farther 
explanations  which  are  given.  The  Westminster  assembly, 
for  example,  make  this  remark  : — "Although  the  light  of 
nature,  and  the  works  of  creation  and  providence,  do  so 
far  manifest  the  goodness,  and  wisdom,  and  power  of  God, 
as  to  leave  men  inexcusable,  yet  they  are  not  sufficient  to 
give  that  knowledge  of  God,  and  of  his  will,  which  is  ne- 
cessary to  salvation."  Now  this  appears  to  me  to  be  entirely 
one-sided, — a  species  of  government  which  is  all  penalty. 
For,  on  the  supposition  that  an  individual,  placed  under  the 
light  of  nature,  should  act  up  to  its  dictates,  he  gains 
nothing, — he  cannot  be  saved.  And  yet  if  he  acts  not  up 
to  its  dictates,  he  is  inexcusable  and  comes  into  condemna- 


238  LECTURES  ON 

tion  on  account  of  his  aberrations.  Surely  such  an  exhibi- 
tion of  the  government  of  God  among  men,  cannot  be  just: 
nor  do  the  scriptures  offer  any  thing  to  justify  it. 

It  will  avail  nothing,  to  say,  that  no  individual  can  com- 
ply with  the  dictates  of  nature;  and  that  therefore  it  is  per- 
fectly useless  to  state  the  case.  For  certainly  mankind  are 
excusable  in  not  doing  that  which  they  cannot  do.  If  it 
should  be  asserted  by  any  one,  that  the  fact  is  totally  differ- 
ent, and  that  men  may  be  condemned  for  not  doing  what  it 
was  impossible  they  should  do,  he  must  be  conscious  that 
his  own  mind  revolts  from  such  a  statement.  He  must  feel, 
that  he  has  cast  on  the  divine  government  an  imputation  of 
the  very  worst  sort,  which  nothing  can  palliate.  It  will  not 
relieve  the  difficulty,  to  appeal  to  the  sovereignty  of  God: 
that  reply  would  indeed  change  the  terms ;  but  at  the  same 
time  it  would  only  repeat  the  imputation.  Nor  will  it  an- 
swer any  better  purpose,  to  quote  Paul's  question, — "Nay, 
but,  0  man,  who  art  thou  that  repliest  against  God?"  For 
the  question  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  matter  in  hand,  as 
shall  hereafter  appear. 

The  texts  which  we  have  been  considering,  have  been 
advanced  in  proof  of  the  Westminster  assembly's  doctrine. 
But,  as  we  are  not  under  their  jurisdiction,  and  have  no  belief 
in  their  infallibility,  we  beg  leave  to  re-examine  the  texts  for 
ourselves.  Paul  certainly  does  not  offer  a  view  of  the  di- 
vine government,  so  palpably  defective.  According  to  his 
account,  the  gentiles  were  not  inexcusable,  because  they  did 
not  do,  what  it  was  impossible  they  should  do  :  but  "because, 
that,  when  they  knew  God,  they  glorified  him  not  as  God, 
neither  were  thankful ;  but  became  vain  in  their  imagina- 
tions." They  were  "given  over  to  a  reprobate  mind,"  not 
because  they  did  not  do  what  they  could  not  do,  but  because 
"they  did  not  like  to  retain  God  in  their  knowledge." 
Neither  does  the  apostle  say  that  the  gentiles  were  under  a, 
system  which  was  competent  to  condemn  them  for  their 
sins,  but  incompetent  to  afford  them  that  which  was  "ner 
cessary  to  salvation."  On  the  contrary,  he  represents  them 
as  "doing  by  nature  the  things  contained  in  the  law,"  and 
showing  "the  work  of  the  law  written  on  their  hearts." 
And  finally,  he  declares  that  every  gentile  who  worketh 
good,  should  obtain  glory,  honor,  and  peace. 

The  apostle  does  not  oppose  nature  to  revelation. 
For  he  asserts,  that  "the  wrath  of  God  is  revealed  from 
heaven  against  all  ungodliness  and  unrighteousness  of  men. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  239 

who  hold  the  truth  in  unrighteousness ;  because  that  which 
may  be  known  of  God  is  manifest  among  them;  for  God  hath 
showed  it  unto  them."  He  opposes  nature  to  the  elec- 
tion. The  jews,  he  declares,  are  under  the  law;  the  gen- 
tiles "are  a  law  unto  themselves," — not  that  they  are  desti- 
tute of  any  means,  granted  to  them  by  Jehovah,  of  judging 
what  is  right;  but  they  show  the  work  of  the  law  written  on 
their  hearts. 

It  is  manifest  that  the  phrase,  "  light  of  nature,"  used 
in  reference  to  the  gentiles,  and  as  opposed  to  revela- 
tion, is  applied  very  incorrectly.  For  they  were  under  me- 
diatorial law,  by  virtue  of  their  ancestorial  inheritance;  and 
mediatorial  law  is  revelation.  It  is  evident  that  they 
are  so  completely  under  the  mediatorial  administration, 
that  in  doing  evil,  they  are  inexcusable;  and  by  working 
good  they  may  inherit  eternal  life.  Yet  they  do  not  belong 
to  the  election;  i.  e.  viewed  in  reference  to  the  Jewish 
law.  Of  course,  the  extent  of  the  atonement  which  be- 
longs to  "  mediatorial  law,"  is  not  limited  by  the  extent  of 
the  election;  because  mediatorial  law  goes  beyond  the  elec- 
tion. 

It  has  often  been  remarked,  that  the  deistical  argument 
has  improved  with  the  progress  of  revelation;  and  that,  in 
fact,  deists  themselves  repose  much  confidence  in  the 
mercy  of  God,  and  in  the  value  of  repentance.  They  tell 
us  that  these  ideas  are  derived  from  the  light  of  nature;  and 
talk  with  a  great  deal  of  complacency  of  such  men  as 
Socrates  and  Seneca,  Plato  and  Cicero,  as  well  as  of 
their  fine  moral  sentiments.  Christian  moralists,  on  the  other 
hand,  ever  endeavor  to  throw  these  philosophers  into  the 
shade;  and  deny  that  the  light  of  nature  proclaims  the  thing 
that  is  necessary  unto  salvation.  But  how  could  the  world 
be  destitute  of  evangelical  ideas  and  terms?  The  whole 
world  has  been  under  mediatorial  law,  and  has  lived  by  the 
forbearance  of  God.  And  if  God  had  manifested  unto  them 
what  may  be  known  of  him,  or  if  his  witness  was  ever  pro- 
claiming his  goodness  unto  them ;  why  should  not  such  men 
as  Socrates  and  Seneca,  and  Plato  and  Cicero,  reason  ra- 
tionally and  philosphically  ?  Does  not  Paul  ascribe  just 
views  to  the  heathen  poets,  when  they  said,  that  men  were 
"  the  offspring  of  God  ?"  Does  he  not  tell  us  that  the  gen- 
tiles did  by  nature  the  things  contained  in  the  law,  and  that 
they  were  ever  debating  moral  subjects  among  themselves? 
Does  he  not  declare,  that,  in  so  far  as  they  did  not  reason 


240  LECTURES  ON 

right,  they  were  inexcusable  ?  And  why  should  not  the 
deistical  argument  improve  with  the  progress  of  revelation  ; 
when,  by  that  progress  of  revelation,  the  very  ideas  which 
belong  to  the  light  of  nature,  are  thereby  made  more  plain 
and  distinct?  And  why  should  not  the  christian  philoso- 
pher resolve  into  the  righteousness  of  faith,  the  morality  dis- 
played in  the  heathen  world,  as  promptly  as  he  does  so  re- 
solve Jewish  morality  ?  Was  not  the  righteousness  of  faith 
handed  down  from  Adam  to  Noah,  and  from  Noah  to  Abra- 
ham ?  Did  not  the  abrahamic  covenant  bring  out  the  same 
doctrine  before  the  world  ;  and  the  Jewish  law,  as  a  severe 
schoolmaster,  teach  its  necessity?  As  to  a  light  of  nature, 
which  is  independent  of  mediatorial  law,  neither  christian 
nor  deist  knows  any  thing  about  it;  and  when  they  under- 
take to  argue,  in  relation  to  such  a  thing,  they  speak  with- 
out book,  and  draw  conclusions  without  premises.  Nature 
is  opposed  to  election.  It  is  as  much  nature  that  the  world 
should  be  under  the  government  of  the  mediator  and  his 
evangelical  institute,  as  it  would  have  been  nature  for  the 
world  to  have  been  governed  by  the  creator  and  his  institute 
of  law,  if  Adam  had  not  fallen.  The  state  of  society,  or  of 
government  among  the  jews,  was  unnatural.\ 

In  view  of  the  Jewish  polity,  and  while  comparing  "the 
atonement"  with  the  election,  the  scriptures  have  furnished 
us  with  another  official  exhibition,  whose  principle  is  the 
same  with  that  on  which  our  argument  is  based.  That  ex- 
hibition is  seldom  considered  in  connexion  with  this  sub- 
ject; because,  though  mentioned  three  times  in  the  scrip- 
tures, it  is  supposed  to  belong  to  those  things,  "hard  to  be 
understood,"  which  Paul  has  written.  I  allude  to  the 
priesthood  of  Melchizedek.  It  is  true,  that  we  know  very 
little  concerning  this  man,  and  his  official  relations;  but  it 
is  presumed,  that  we  know  enough  to  establish  the  point 
before  us.  Melchizedek  was  a  priest  of  the  Most  High 
God.  He  was  not  a  priest  under  the  levitical  law,  as  he 
had  no  levitical  register,  or  was  without  father,  without  mo- 
ther, without  beginning  of  days  or  end  of  life, — all  of  which 
matters  must  be  stated  concerning  a  levitical  priest.*  And 
Christ  was  a  priest,  after  the  order  'of  Melchizedek,  and 
not  after  the  order  of  Aaron  ;  seeing  that  neither  had  he 
any  levitical  register,  as  he  belonged  to  the  tribe  of  Judah. 
The  priesthood  of  Melchizedek  was  then  in  the  gentile 
world,  and  was  outside  of  the  circumference  of  "the  election" 

*  See  Gray's  Priesthoods. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  241 

altogether.  Now,  the  apostle  argues,  that  different  priest- 
hoods have  different  laws ;— his  declaration  is  that  "the  priest- 
hood being  changed,  there  is  made  of  necessity  a  change 
also  of  the  law."  Of  course,  the  priesthood  of  Melchize- 
dek  was  not  affected  by  any  of  the  restrictions  of  the  Jew- 
ish ritual.  Consequently  the  priesthood  of  Christ,  "though  it 
might  bring  about  the  redemption  of  the  transgressions  that 
were  under  the  first  testament,"  yet  went  far  beyond  them, 
— and  was  co-extensive  with  the  priesthood  of  Melchize- 
dek. 

The  question  which  now  arises  is,  what  was  the  law  of 
the  priesthood  of  Melchizedek?  In  answer  to  which,  it  is 
to  be  remarked,  1.  That  this  singular  personage  is  intro- 
duced to  our  notice,  in  the  most  formal  manner, — he  was 
priest  of  the  most  high  God.  i.  e.  He  held  a  special  and  im- 
mediate commission  from  God  himself:  for  as,  every  head 
of  a  family  was  a  priest  in  his  own  family,  Abraham  too  was 
a  priest;  yet  he  paid  tithes  to  Melchizedek.  w2.  Paul  ar- 
gues, that  as  Abraham  paid  tithes  to  Melchizedek,  his 
priesthood  was  not  only  outside  of  "the  election,"  but  far 
superior  to  the  priesthood  of  Aaron.  3.  If  "even  Abraham" 
paid  tithes,  any  one  else  might  have  done  the  same, 
on  the  principle  of  reasoning  from  the  greater  to  the  less. 
Of  course  the  priesthood  of  Melchizedek  was  characterised 
by  universality.  Hence  the  apostle's  peculiar  language — 
that  Christ  being  a  priest  after  the  similitude  of  Melchize- 
dek, was  made  so,  "not  after  a  carnal  commandment,  but 
after  the  power  of  an  endless  life."  And  as  he  continueth 
ever.,  he  "hath  an  unchangeable  priesthood,"  and  is  also 
able  to  save  unto  the  uttermost,  them  that  come  unto  God 
by  him."  Of  course  the  priesthood  of  Christ  goes  back- 
ward and  forward,  with  the  whole  history  of  the  human 
race;  within  that  range  no  "beginning  of  days"  nor 
"end  of  life"  can  be  specified  ;  and  it  includes  the  whole 
human  family,  as  no  particular  class  of  mankind,  can  be  ge- 
nealogically traced,  to  whom  it  properly  belongs.  There  is 
no  other  priest  for  either  jew  or  gentile.  All  have  a  like  in- 
terest in  him  and  his  official  transactions.  And  the  argu- 
ment that  represents  him  as  making  reconciliation  for  one, 
necessarily  represents  him  as  making  reconciliation  for  all. 

The  priesthood  of  Melchizedek,  seems  then,  like  the  of- 
ficial character  of  Abraham,  to  have  been  intended  to  pre- 
vent all  those  narrow  reasonings,  to  which  the  doctrine  of 
election  has  given  rise.     The  apostle  Paul  certainly  makes 
21 


242  LECTURES  ON 

no  other  use  of  it,  than  to  correct  such  impressions  amoncr 
the  jews:  for  his  evident  design,  in  his  epistle  to  the  he- 
brews,  is  to  put  the  whole  mosaic  constitution  into  a  se- 
condary place  ;  and  to  lower  it  in  the  estimation  of  his  coun- 
trymen, who  considered  it  primary  and  indispensable.  And 
as  all  their  exclusive  ideas,  arose  from  the  fact,  that  they 
were  the  chosen,  or  elected,  people  of  God  ;  he,  in  tracing 
the  limited  operation  of  the  law,  in  view  of  which  they  had 
been  elected,  refuted  their  views  of  election  itself. 

Under  the  christian  economy,  when  a  second  election  oc- 
curs, the  argument,  in  favor  of  the  universality  of  the  medi- 
atorial institute,  is  comparatively  simple.  Two  particulars 
alone  need  to  be  mentioned.  1.  The  terms  which  are  used 
are  universal — "Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature." — "All  power  is  given  unto  me  in 
heaven,  and  in  earth.  Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all  na- 
tions"— "The  times  of  this  ignorance,.  God  winked  at ;  but 
now  commandeth  all  men,  every  where  to  repent." 

2.  The  peculiar  designation  of  the  new  economy,  is — 
gospel.  And  gospel  is  glad-tidings — glory  to  God,  and 
good  will  to  men.  It  is  "that  which  was  from  the  begin- 
ning."  Its  subject  is  the  righteousness  of  faith,  which  was 
proclaimed  to  Adam,  the  head  of  our  race,  after  the  fali ;  to 
Noah,  constituted  the  head  of  the  human  family,  after  the 
flood  ;  and  to  Abraham,  made  "the  heir  of  the  world."  The 
gospel  is  then  concerned  about  that  which  is  the  inheritance 
of  man,  by  virtue  of  the  first  promise.  Such  is  its  general 
subject;  while  the  particular  dispensation,  under  which  its 
full  disclosures  are  made,  will  serve  its  temporary  purpose 
— "until  the  fulness  of  the  gentiles  be  come  in,"  when  all 
the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  see  the  salvation  of  God. 

In  thus  endeavoring  to  ascertain  the  position  of  the  gen* 
tiles,  under  the  mediatorial  administration  of  the  Son  of  God, 
I  believe  that  nothing  has  been  left  unconsidered,  which 
was  worthy  of  any  particular  notice  :  unless  it  may  be,  that 
some  one  might  reproachfully  ask, — is  it  not  strange,  that,  un- 
der such  circumstances,  we  should  have  no  better  account  of 
the  gentiles,  than  that  which  history  has  recorded  ?  Certainly 
we  have  abundant  reason  for  sad  and  mournful  reflections, 
when  we  turn  to  the  annals  of  so  large  a  portion  of  our  race. 
And  we  wish  we  had  no  farther  cause  of  grief.  But  one 
portion  of  the  history  of  man,  was  wound  up  in  the  deluge. 
Was  not  that  equally  strange  ?  Another  portion  was  wound 
up  in  the  necessity  for  the  call  of  Abraham.     Was  not  that 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  243 

equally  strange?  Neither  have  the  gentile  nations  ever 
been  viewed  with  a  kindly  eye,  either  by  jews  or  christians. 
For  they  have  uniformly  reasoned,  as  though  the  world  had 
nothing  but  evil  in  it;  and  as  though  the  consequence  of 
Adam's  sin  had  been  pure,  unmingled  evil  ;  when  Jeho- 
vah's own  comment  is, — "Behold  the  man  is  become  as 
one  of  us,  to  know  good  and  evil."  And  yet  Abraham 
met  with  Melchizedek :  Isaac  with  Abimelech;  Joseph 
with  Potipherah  ;  Moses  with  Jethro,  and  Job,  and  Bala- 
am. Literary  men,  of  enlightened  and  liberal  views,  have 
spoken  much  of  the  philosophers;  and  the  sybylline  oracles 
seem  to  have  been  but  a  collection  of  fragments  of  patriar- 
chal traditions,  long  preserved,  and  scattered  every  where. 
Then  again,  what  shall  be  said  for  the  election  themselves? 
Moses  found  them  a  stiff-necked  and  rebellious  people;  of- 
ten did  they  relapse  into  idolatry ;  Samuel  had  much  trou- 
ble with  them;  Elijah  sought  their  reformation  with  many 
tears;  the  babylonish  captivity  was  a  long  and  sore  punish- 
ment of  their  crimes;  ten  of  the  tribes  have  no  habitation 
which  any  anxious  moralist  can  discover;  in  the  redeemer's 
day,  the  remainder  were  guilty  of  the  very  things  for  which 
they  condemned  the  gentiles,  and  finally  filled  up  the  cup 
of  their  iniquity  in  acting  the  tragedy  of  the  crucifixion. 

And  besides,  what  shall  we  say  for  ourselves  ?  What  is 
our  own  history,  from  the  day  that  ecclesiastical  councils 
were  formed,  down  through  the  long  reign  of  their  pernicious 
decrees,  even  to  our  own  times  ;  when  the  sectarian  is  tramp- 
ling on  his  fellow,  and  every  denomination  is  writhing  un- 
der its  own  legislative  mistakes  ?  Or  what  account  shall  we 
give  of  our  own  contentions,  down  from  the  lofty  preten- 
sions of  papal  misrule,  to  the  lowest  socinianism  itself?  Or 
how  do  we  appear,  when  to  stimulate  ourselves  to  deeds  of 
discipline,  we  are  ever  talking  in  sectarian  jargon  about  the 
purity  of  the  church;  and  purchasing  peace  on  our  dying 
pillow,  by  casting  each  other  out  of  the  church?  And  do 
we  wonder  at  the  history  of  the  heathen  ? — Such  is  human 
depravity.  We  fear  a  new  tragedy  is  in  preparation,  and 
will  soon  lay  waste  the  fairest  parts  of  our  once  goodly  he- 
ritage. For  it  is  impossible,  that  such  things,  so  fearfully 
immoral,  and  so  contrary  to  every  emotion  with  which  chris- 
tian love  might  inspire  the  human  bosom,  should  not  have 
a  disastrous  termination.  Never  did  society  more  need  re- 
organization. That  reorganization  will  take  place:  and  the 
prelude  we  dread* 


244  LECTURES  Otf 

But  we  have  to  consider  the  design  and  reason  of  the? 
election.  Tt  is  a  sovereign  act ;  yet  Jehovah  never  pro- 
ceeds to  such  sovereign  acts  without  a  reason  ;  and  a  rea- 
son, involving  the  good  of  his  creatures  as  its  object.  Nor 
only  so;  but  that  reason  is  always  assigned,  or  is  within  the 
reach  of  our  apprehension,  and  will  be  seen,  sooner  or  lat- 
er, according  as  the  human  mind  shall  acquire  moral  vigor,' 
or  as  succeeding  generations  shall  improve  upon  the  discov- 
eries of  those  which  preceded.  Nor  has  the  reason,  in  the 
present  case,  been  ever  concealed.  The  history  of  the  rec- 
toral  transaction  itself,  states  its  necessity,  and  evinces  it 
to  be  a  dispensation  of  relief;  a  dispensation,  intended  to 
be  "a  schoolmaster"  for  the  time  being,  whose  services  were 
necessary  to  expose  the  errors  of  idolatry,  and  lead  a  mista- 
ken and  distracted  world  to  the  Son  of  God,  as  the  only 
Saviour. 

To  be  more  explicit.  We  must  return  again  to  the  apos- 
tle Paul,  who  is  the  great  commentator  on  the  mediatorial 
institute  ;  and  who  has,  under  the  direction  of  the  Holy  Spi- 
rit, traced  out  all  its  relations.  In  his  epistle  to  the  gala- 
tians,  and  in  an  attempt  to  explain  the  extended  character  of 
the  abrahamic  covenant,  he  supposes  himself  to  be  asked 
this  question — "Wherefore  then  serveth  the  law?"  This  is 
the  very  question,  which  we  are  now  to  consider.  He  replies, 
— "The  law  was  added  because  of  transgressions,  till  the  seed 
should  come,  to  whom  the  promise  was  made."  And  what 
were  these  transgressions  ?  The  descendants  of  Cain,  draw- 
ing the  posterity  of  Seth  into  their  vortex  of  corruptions, 
had  inculcated  and  established  that  fearful  infidelity,  which 
rejected  the  whole  mediatorial  institute.  The  postdiluvians, 
effectually  warned  against  such  unbridled  licentiousness 
by  the  deluge,  as  the  jews  were  afterwards  warned  by  the 
babylonish  captivity  against  idolatry,  supposed  a  multi- 
tude of  "incarnations"  to  have  occurred,  and  so  degener- 
ated into  polytheism.  What  may  be  the  different  amounts 
of  turpitude  between  infidelity  and  polytheism,  1  shall  not 
undertake  to  decide.  But  in  all  the  guilt  of  the  latter,  the 
world  was  involved,  when  God  proclaimed  the  purpose  of 
election  in  the  call  of  Abraham.  This  great  patriarch  him- 
self was  taken  from  an  idolatrous  family:  so  that  the  evil 
must  have  spread  far  and  wide,  and  the  whole  science  of 
morals  have  become  most  egregiously  corrupted.  Let  us 
then  inquire  into  the  character  and  extent  of  this  corruption. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT  245 

The  two  great  correlate  facts  in  the  history  of  man,  to 
which  our  attention  should  be  directed  in  the  moral  disqui- 
sition we  have  undertaken,  are,  that — In  Adam  all  men  die, 
and  in  Christ  all  men  shall  be  made  alive.  Or,  to  vary  the 
mode  of  expression,  the  two  great  institutes,  under  which 
mankind  have  been  placed,  are  law  and  gospel.  Or,  to 
vary  terms  a  little  farther,  the  two  great  views  of  moral  obli- 
gation, which  the  scriptures  have  employed  their  writers  to 
discuss,  are  designated  by  the  phrases — the  righteousness 
of  the  law,  and  the  righteousness  of  faith.  Now,  in  the  ge- 
neral corruption  which  prevailed  at  the  time  of  Abraham's 
call,  these  elemental  matters  were  misunderstood;  or  the 
two  institutes  were  mingled  together  in  sad  and  wretched 
confusion.  Any  plan,  therefore,  which  Jehovah  would  de- 
vise, and  which  should,  at  the  same  time,  be  suitable  to  the 
unhappy  condition  of  mankind,  or  calculated  to  redeem 
them  from  their  idolatrous  depravity,  must  bring  out  these  two 
great  facts,  these  two  great  institutes,  and  these  two  para- 
mount views  of  moral  obligation,  in  distinct  and  vivid  dis- 
play. To  accomplish  this  desirable  object,  was,  as  I  un- 
understand  the  transaction,  the  design  of  Jehovah,  in  erect- 
ing the  two  dispensations.  The  mosaic  ritual  was  a  symbol 
of  the  first  institute,  or  law  ;  and  was  intended  to  demon- 
strate, that  "by  deeds  of  law,  no  flesh  can  be  justified  in  the 
sight  of  God."  The  christian  dispensation  was  a  symbol  of 
the  second  institute,  or  gospel,  and  was  intended  to  exhibit 
"the  righteousness  of  faith."  Accordingly  the  two  dispen- 
sations are  respectively  denominated  law  and  gospel  ;  and 
are  continually  represented  as  having  those  distinctive  re- 
ferences. 

That  such  was  the  actual  condition  of  mankind,  when 
Abraham  was  called,  I  infer, — 1.  Because,  as  there  are  but 
the  two  institutes,  or  the  two  modes  of  justification,  the  hu- 
man mind  in  flying  from  the  one,  must,  of  necessity,  retreat 
into  the  other.  If  then  the  descendants  of  the  patriarchs, 
had  misunderstood  the  doctrine  of  the  righteousness  of  faith, 
which  had  been  revealed  to  them,  they  necessarily  run  into 
that  of  the  righteousness  of  the  law:  and  thus  the  latter  be- 
came the  basis  of  whatever  hopes  they  had.  If,  in  the  mean 
time,  they  still  held  fast  to  the  positive  institutions  which 
they  had  received,  and  whose  whole  reference  was  to  the 
righteousness  of  faith  ; — which  they  might  easily  do,  for  a 
community  will  change  its  doctrines  much  sooner  than  it  will 
change  its  forms,  and  will  in  fact  preserve  an  outward  cere- 
21* 


246  LECTURES  ON 

mony  long  after  its  reason  has  been  forgotten, — then  their 
theories  and  ordinances  would  be  in  direct  collision,  and 
their  theology  would  become  a  mass  of  confusion. 

2.  That  such  was  their  condition,  I  infer,  because,  that 
the  very  thing  which  distinguished  Abraham,  as  the  friend 
of  God,  was  the  righteousness  of  faith.  This  was  the  great 
matter,  which  the  covenant  made  with  him  was  designed  to 
secure,  and  which  his  character  and  history  so  beautifully 
illustrate.  This  spread  its  glory  over  mount  Moriah,  when 
the  father  of  the  faithful  ascended  to  commune  with  God 
over  the  sacrificial  pile  of  his  bleeding  child,  and  where  he 
received  him  "in  a  figure,"  as  raised  from  the  dead.  But 
this  righteousness  of  faith  could  not  have  so  pre-eminently 
distinguished  Abraham,  if  all  around  him  had  not  "fallen 
from  grace,"  and  sought  justification  by  the  righteousness  of 
the  law. 

3.  That  such  was  the  condition  of  men,  I  infer,  because 
Job,  who  was  cotemporary  with  Moses,  and  whose  history 
appears  to  have  been  written  by  that  legislator,  with  a  view 
to  show  the  insufficiency  of  deeds  of  law, — because  Job, 
though  he  anticipated  the  coming  of  his  redeemer,yet  sought 
to  be  justified  by  his  own  obedience  to  law..  That  Job  had 
formed  such  calculations,  is  evident  from  his  high  preten- 
sions, and  from  the  whole  train  of  his  reasoning  ;  but  parti- 
cularly from  the  manner  of  the  divine  appearance  to  him,  in 
the  winding  up  of  the  protracted  controversy.  God  did  not 
appear  to  him,  as  he  did  to  Abraham,  or  Jacob,  in  a  human 
form,  condescending  to  plain  and  familiar  converse;  for  that 
would  have  been  a  manifestation  of  his  mediatorial  charac- 
ter. But  he  came  to  him,  as  he  did  to  Moses,  on  the  burn- 
ing mountain.  He  came  in  a  whirlwind,  or  in  terrible  ma- 
jesty, and  as  the  great  lawgiver;  before  whom,  thus  reveal- 
ed, every  human  being  must  bow  in  self-abhorrence.  Moses 
did  exceedingly  fear  and  quake.  Ah  !  no  human  being  can 
be  justified  by  deeds  of  law.  Without  a  mediator  we  are  all 
undone  ;  and  of  this  important  fact  the  old  testament  apos- 
tle wished  to  convince  his  people,  whom  he  was  conduct- 
ing to  the  land  of  promise,  when  he  penned  this  beautiful 
piece  of  scripture  story. 

4.  That  such  was  the  condition  of  mankind,  I  infer,  be- 
cause, that,  though  the  jews  had  the  promises  and  the  ordi- 
nances, yet  their  great  error  was,  that  they  went  about  to  es- 
tablish their  own  righteousness,  being  ignorant  of  the  right- 
eousness of  God*     Even  after  they  had  embraced  Jesus  of 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  247 

Nazareth  as  the  long  promised  Messiah,  yet  their  ideas  were 
exceedingly  confused  ;  they  held  fast  to  the  law,  and  zeal- 
ously labored  to  proselyte  the  gentiles  to  their  prejudices 
and  mistakes.  Hence  Paul's  long  and  elaborate  epistles 
were  written,  and  his  grand  theme  was,  the  righteousness  of 
faith,  as  opposed  to  deeds  of  law. 

I  have  certainly  given  reasons  enough  to  justify  my  infer- 
ence ;  and  to  demonstrate  the  proneness  of  men  to  relapse 
into  a  legal  condition,  notwithstanding  that  a  mediator  has 
been  revealed  to  them.  Or  if  more  were  necessary,  every 
deficiency  would  be  supplied  by  simply  looking  at  the  pre- 
tensions of  infidelity  ;  which  are  nothing  else  than  a  blind- 
ed attachment  to  the  righteousness  of  law,  that  the  best  of 
men  never  can  render.  But  if  such  be  the  proneness  of  the 
human  mind;  and  if  the  condition  of  mankind,  at  the  time 
when  Abraham  was  called,  was  such  as  I  have  described  it  to 
have  been ;  there  was  a  necessity  that  something  should  be 
done.  The  then  present  age  needed  it.  Future  genera- 
tions would  require  it.  As  the  original  mode  of  com- 
municating instruction  to  men,  was  by  external  symbol;  and 
as  the  subjects  to  be  explained  had  often  been  so  represent- 
ed before,  what  better  method  could  be  devised,  than  to  re- 
duce the  subject  to  actual  experiment,  under  a  symbolical 
form?  Thus,  the  human  mind,  in  all  the  varied  shades  and 
sizes  under  which  society  at  large  presents  it;  and  with  all 
the  advantages  that  the  special  protection  of  the  Almighty 
could  afford  ;  w  as  either  left  or  called  to  a  labored  effort,  to 
show  what  the  righteousness  of  the  law  was  really  worth. — 
And  when  ages  had  elapsed,  and  the  experiment  was  fairly 
and  fully  tried;  when  national  grandeur,  and  political  dis- 
tinction, and  military  prowess,  and  monarchical  pageantry,, 
and  the  wealth  of  a  kingdom,  had  wrought  up  the  period  of 
trial  into  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  man,  never  to  be  for- 
gotten ;  and  when  the  demonstration,  that  by  the  deeds  of 
law  no  flesh  could  be  justified  in  the  sight  of  God,  had  thus 
become  irrefutable;  then  came  the  redeemer  to  exhibit  the 
righteousness  of  faith,  under  a  parallel  dispensation  ; — a  dis- 
pensation excelling  in  its  glory,  more  extensive  in  its  ope- 
rations, and  more  simple  in  its  form. — Can  any  one  ob- 
ject to  our  principle  of  exposition  ?  Was  not  such  a  pro- 
ceeding worthy  of  God,  suitable  to  man,  called  for  by  the 
circumstances  of  the  case,  and  adequate  to  achieve  the  ob- 
ject contemplated  ? 


248  LECTURES  ON 

With  the  foregoing  view,  all  the  common  illustrations, 
which  the  scriptures  employ,  precisely  correspond.  To  ex- 
emplify.— "  What  the  law  could  not  do,  in  that  it  was  weak 
through  the  flesh,  God  sent  his  Son,  in  the  likeness  of  sinful 
flesh,  to  do."  If  the  original  institute  had  become  thus  in- 
appropriate to  the  human  condition,  its  symbol  must  be 
characterised  by  that  very  same  inefficiency.  And  no  con- 
ceivable end  can  be  assigned,  why  an  inappropriate  insti- 
tute should  be  revived,  even  under  a  symbolic  form ;  and 
particularly,  when  mankind  do  not  seem  to  be  convinced  of 
its  inappropriateness,  but  to  show  them  its  insufficiency. 

The  law  was  thus  revived  under  symbolic  form,  only  for 
a  little  while; — until  the  seed  should  come,  to  whom  the 
promise  was  made.  But  why  was  it  temporary?  Had  it 
been  sufficient,  would  it  not  have  been  permanent?  If 
"  there  had  been  a  law  given  which  could  have  given  life, 
verily  righteousness  should  have  been  by  the  law.  But  the 
scripture  hath  concluded  all  under  sin."  And  especially 
the  jew;  for  the  law  having  entered,  the  offence  hath 
abounded. 

"The  law  was  our  schoolmaster,  to  bring  us  unto  Christ, 
that  we  might  be  justified  by  faith."  Its  object  was  to  refer 
us  to  Christ,  by  demonstrating  the  insufficiency  of  its  right- 
eousness, and  by  that  means  "  to  shut  up"  the  jews 
"  unto  the  faith  which  should  afterwards  be  revealed."  Nor 
could  any  atonement,  which  it  prescribed,  interfere  with 
this  grand  design;  but,  on  the  contrary,  the  ordinance  of 
sacrifice  itself  formed  a  very  material  part  of  the  proof, 
which  the  dispensation  afforded,  of  the  inefficiency  of  law. 
For  had  those  sacrifices  been  sufficient  to  take  away  sin, 
"they  would  have  ceased  to  be  offered;  because  that  the 
worshippers,  once  purged,  should  have  had  no  more  con- 
science of  sins."  The  repetition  of  these  sacrifices,  there- 
fore, was  full  evidence  of  their  own  incompetency. 

The  law,  "written  and  engraven  in  stones,"  which  "was 
so  glorious,  that  the  children  of  Israel  could  not  steadfastly 
behold  the  face  of  Moses,  for  the  glory  of  his  countenance," 
instead  of  justifying  a  sinner,  was  itself  "  the  ministration  of 
death  and  condemnation."  The  children  of  Israel,  who 
lived  under  the  law,  instead  of  obtaining  life  thereby,  were 
actually  condemned  to  death;  as  the  prophet  Ezekiel  beau- 
tifully represents  in  his  vision  of  the  valley  of  dead  and  dry 
bones.  Such  was  the  condition  of  "the  whole  house  of 
Israel ;"  and  nothing  saved  them  but  the  fact  that  the  law 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  249 

had  been  ordained  in  the  hands  of  a  mediator.     Such  are 
the  common  illustrations  on  this  subject. 

In  delineating  the  character  of  the  mosaic  ritual,  the  cir- 
cumstances of  its  introduction,  which  were  so  fearful  and 
oppressive,  and  which  precisely  correspond  with  the  gene- 
ral idea  we  have  set  forth,  ought  not  to  be  forgotten.  We 
shall  detail  them  in  scriptural  language.  "  And  the  Lord 
said  unto  Moses,  Lo,  I  come  unto  thee  in  a  thick  cloud, 
that  the  people  may  hear  when  I  speak  with  thee,  and  be- 
lieve thee  forever.  And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  third  day, 
in  the  morning,  that  there  were  thunders  and  lightnings, 
and  a  thick  cloud  upon  the  mount,  and  the  voice  of  the 
trumpet  exceeding  loud,  so  that  all  the  people  that  were  in 
the  camp  trembled.  And  Mount  Sinai  was  altogether  on  a 
smoke,  because  the  Lord  descended  upon  it  in  fire ;  and 
the  smoke  thereof  ascended  as  the  smoke  of  a  furnace,  and 
the  whole  mount  quaked  greatly.*  "  And  all  the  people  saw 
the  thunderings,  and  the  lightnings,  and  the  noise  of  the 
trumpet,  and  the  mountain  smoking:  and  when  the  people 
saw  it,  they  removed,  and  stood  afar  off.  And  they  said 
unto  Moses,  Speak  thou  with  us,  and  we  will  hear:  but  let 
not  God  speak  with  us,  lest  we  die."!"  !<  And  he  said,  Be- 
hold I  make  a  covenant :  before  all  thy  people  I  will  do  mar- 
vels, such  as  have  not  been  done  in  all  the  earth,  nor  in  any 
nation  :  and  all  the  people  among  which  thou  art,  shall  see 
the  work  of  the  Lord  ,  for  it  is  a  terrible  thing  that  I  will 
do  with  thee."t  "  Forget  not  the  day  that  thou  stoodest 
before  the  Lord  thy  God  in  Horeb.  And  ye  came  near, 
and  stood  under  the  mountain;  and  the  mountain  burned 
with  fire  unto  the  midst  of  heaven,  with  darkness,  clouds, 
and  thick  darkness.  And  the  Lord  spake  unto  you  out  of 
the  midst  of  the  fire."§  "  For  ye  are  not  come  unto  the 
mount  that  might  be  touched,  and  that  burned  with  fire,  nor 
unto  blackness,  and  darkness,  and  tempest,  and  the  sound  of 
a  trumpet,  and  the  voice  of  words:  which  voice  they  that 
heard,  entreated  that  the  word  should  not  be  spoken  to 
them  any  more :  for  they  could  not  .endure  that  which  was 
commanded.  And  if  so  much  as  a  beast  touch  the  moun- 
tain, it  shall  be  stoned  or  thrust  through  with  a  dart;  and  so 
terrible  was  the  sight,  that  Moses  said,  I  exceedingly  fear 
and  quake. "||  "  Now,  therefore,  why  tempt  ye  God,  to 
put  a  yoke  on  the  neck  of  the  disciples,  which  neither  our 
fathers  nor  we  were  able  to  bean"^I 

*  Exod.  ix.  9—25.       f  Exod.  xx.  18,  19.       J  Exod.  xxxiv.— 10. 
§Deut.  iv.  10— 12,       ||  Heb.  xii.  18— 21.     UActsxv.  10, 


250  LECTURES  Ob 

Such  were  the  circumstances  attendant  on  the  giving  of 
the  mosaic  institutions.  And  what  could  be  the  nature  of 
an  economy  thus  introduced  ?  What  else  shall  we  make  of 
it.  than  that  it  was  a  law  which  could  not  be  obeyed,  and 
was,  therefore,  a  ministration  of  death  ?  How  painful  and 
distressing  the  feelings  of  the  sinner  must  be  in  such  a  situa- 
tion !  How  bitter  his  waitings  !  How  lamentable  his  cries  ! 
Hear  the  people.  Hear  Moses.  Hear  Job.  What  was  to 
be  done,  or  who  can  bear  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living 
God?  Such  an  exhibition  shut  up  the  whole  people  of 
Israel  to  the  faith  which  should  afterwards  be  revealed. 

If  there  be  any  flaw  in  the  preceding  arguments,  then, 
unable  to  answer  farther,  I  ask,  what  could  have  been  the 
design  of  such  things?  Certainly  they  do  not  describe  the 
actual  condition  of  mankind  ;  for  God  had  given  the  promise 
of  the  "seed  of  the  woman."  Neither  do  they  describe  the 
actual  condition  of  the  jews;  for  they  were  the  children  of 
Abraham,  to  whom  the  gospel  was  preached,  and  the  law 
itself  was  ordained  under  mediatorial  superintendence.  No- 
thing is  left  for  us,  but  to  consider  the  whole  transaction  as 
purely  symbolical,  shadowing  forth  the  insufficiency  of  the 
righteousness  of  law. 

How  different  is  the  exhibition  under  the  new  dispensa- 
tion !  It  is  not  now  the  burning  mountain,  but  a  crucified 
Christ ; — not  the  awful  legislator,  speaking  from  the  midst  of 
the  fire,  but  the  condescending  mediator,  manifest  in  the 
flesh; — not  the  law,  working  wrath,  but  the  gospel  pro- 
claiming mercy  ; — not  the  ministration  of  condemnation  and 
death,  but  the  ministration  of  righteousness  and  life  ; — not 
the  ineffectual  sacrifice,  vainly  repeated,  but  the  one  sacri- 
fice that  forever  perfects  them  that  are  sanctified : — not  the 
spirit  of  bondage,  but  the  spirit  of  adoption,  of  power,  of 
love,  and  of  a  sound  mind  ; — not  a  condition  of  pupilage 
and  servitude,  but  a  state  of  liberty  and  privilege,  where  the 
heir,  arrived  at  full  age,  has  received  the  inheritance.  "  Wre 
are  now  come  unto  Mount  Sion,  and  unto  the  city  of  the 
living  God,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  and  to  an  innumerable 
company  of  angels,  to  the  general  assembly  and  church  of 
the  first  born,  which  are  written  in  heaven,  and  to  God  the 
judge  of  all,  and  to  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect, 
and  to  Jesus,  the  mediator  of  the  new  covenant,  and  to  the 
blood  of  sprinkling,  that  speaketh  better  things  than  the 
blood  of  Abel."     Now  "the  riches  of  his  glory"  are  spread 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  251 

out  over  "  the  vessels  of  mercy,  which  he  had  afore  pre- 
pared unto  glory." 

Nor  were  these  things  done  in  a  corner.  The  crucifixion 
was  brought  about  by  the  jews,  whose  unique  institutions 
made  them  the  object  of  universal  observation  and  remark; 
and  under  the  auspices  of  the  roman  government,  which 
was  the  mistress  of  the  world.  The  whole  story  was  speedi- 
ly told;  the  Jewish  temple  was  soon  destroyed;  the  gentile 
mythology  was  quickly  assailed  ;  christains  were  called  to 
endure  the  severest  persecutions;  and  wherever  the  gospel 
came,  he.r  tidings  rapidly  spread  abroad.  These  two  dis- 
pensations have  been  incorporated  in  the  history  of  man- 
kind, and  can  never  be  forgotten.  That  the  righteousness 
of  the  law  cannot  justify  any  man,  and  that  the  righteous- 
ness of  faith  is  the  only  ground  of  moral  calculation,  are 
points  which  have  been  thus  demonstrated  to  the  world. 
The  errors  of  scholastic  theology  may  require  to  be  exposed, 
but  no  new  revelation  can  be  needed. 

Such  has  been  the  policy  of  the  two  dispensations, — and 
can  any  one  doubt  its  wisdom  ?  How  can  we  judge  of  the 
propriety  of  a  measure,  but  by  its  design  ;  and  if  the  design 
be  accomplished,  while  its  character  is  unequivocal,  who 
shall  condemn  the  measure?  In  the  present  case  Jehovah 
comes  forth  from  his  place  to  reorganize  society, — whose 
way  had  been  corrupted  before  him  ;  while  he  graciously 
refrains  from  pouring  out  his  judgments,  or  visiting  general 
depravity  as  it  deserved.  He  aims  at  recalling  the  human 
mind  to  consider  its  evangelical  privileges,  and  to  abandon 
its  errors.  When  his  whole  pln.n  is  developed,  as  ra- 
pidly as  men  can  bear  it,  it  turns  out  to  be  a  clear  and  irre- 
futable demonstration  of  the  truth  which  had  been  pro- 
claimed from  the  beginning,  and  the  perversion  of  which 
was  the  very  error  that  needed  correction.  No  one  can  say 
that  this  plan  did  not  involve  "a  purpose  of  election  ;"  or 
that  the  history  of  the  two  dispensations  is  not  the  history 
of  such  a  purpose,  carried  out  into  execution.  And  if  so, 
that  election  ought  to  stand  forth,  distinct  and  prominent, 
in  a  systematic  detail  of  the  divine  proceedings.  But  in 
the  anxiety  to  maintain  an  individual  election  to  eternal 
life,  this  "mystery  of  the  divine  will"  has  been  almost  en- 
tirely forgotten :  and  those  portions  of  scripture  which  ac- 
tually belong  to  it,  have  been  purloined  from  their  own  con- 
nexions, in  order  to  sustain  the  sectarian  dogma. 


252  LECTURES  ON 

I  have  now  given  the  first  view  of  the  scriptural  doctrine 
of  election.  While  this  view  cannot  be  denied  to  be 
scriptural,  there  is  nothing  appearing  in  it,  to  contradict 
the  universality  of  the  gospel,  or  to  limit  the  extent  of  the 
atonement,  or  institute  of  reconciliation.  The  word  of  re- 
conciliation, proclaiming  the  righteousness  of  faith,  is  the 
property  of  neither  jew  nor  gentile,  separately  considered; 
but  has  been  given  to  the  whole  world.  And  this,  I  believe, 
has  been  fairly  demonstrated. 

There  are  still  some  examples  which  have  been  adduced 
in  the  scriptures,  almost  with  as  much  distinctness  as  the 
Jewish  economy  itself,  and  which  I  notecTffs  belonging  to 
the  doctrine  of  election,  that  deserve  special  consideration. 
I  had  intended  to  bring  this  whole  subject,  and  all  its  various 
illustrations,  within  the  compass  of  a  single  lecture.  But 
our  remarks  have  been  too  far  protracted,  to  allow  me  to 
accomplish  my  design.  I  must  then  close  the  discussion 
for  the  present,  and  reserve  what  remains  for  the  succeeding 
lecture. 


LECTURE  XI. 

Subject  continued. — Ishmael  and  Isaac. — Esau  and  Jacob. — 
Type  of  the  Potter. — Pharaoh. —  General  reasoning. 

Resuming  the  general  subject  of  discussion,  on  the  doc- 
trine of  election,  as  it  is  sketched  on  the  scriptural  page, 
I  must  now  proceed  to  call  up  to  your  consideration,  sundry 
instances  which  appear  to  be  individual  in  their  character; 
but  which,  after  all,  every  one  must  perceive  to  be  purely 
political. 

Certain  persons  whom  God  called  into  his  service,  and 
whom  he  consecrated  for  special  purposes,  are  mentioned 
with  peculiar  honor,  while  others  are  reprobated  as  openly 
wicked,  and  incorrigibly  corrupt.  But  it  is  evident  that  this 
second  view  of  election,  if  such  it  may  be  called,  is  perfectly 
analagous  to  the  first,  and  is  also  official.  Moses,  Aaron, 
Levi,  Judah,  Saul,  David,  the  prophets,  the  apostles,  and 
many  others,  were  all  respectively  chosen.  Jehovah  had 
selected  them  to  accomplish  some  particular  end;  but  their 
election  did  not  secure  their  everlasting  life.  However 
highly  they  might  have  been  distinguished,  by  the  special 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  253 

commission  put  into  their  hands,  yet  it  was  a  very  possible 
case  for  them  to  fail ;  and  instead  of  securing  eternal  glory, 
to  incur  official  disgrace,  and  serve  as  a  beacon  to  all  coming 
generations. 

The  history  of  Balaam  ;  the  suicide  of  Judas,  rendered  des- 
perate by  his  own  remorse ;  and  the  persevering  efforts  of 
Paul,  using  every  wise  and  well-timed  precaution,  lest,  after 
having  preached  the  gospel  to  others,  he  should  be  a  cast- 
away himself,  amply  elucidate  this  fact.  All  such  cases  of 
election  were  acts  of  the  mediator,  exercising  that  sovereignty 
which  belonged  to  him  as  lord  of  the  universe,  or  using  the 
prerogative  of  a  ruler.  So  an  earthly  sovereign  would  act. 
Such  patronage  is  attached  to  his  official  station  ;  and  he 
employs  it  accordingly,  using  it  ever  for  the  good  of  his 
subjects,  and  like  a  father  to  his  people,  if  he  be  a  righteous 
ruler.  He  puts  into  commission  those  whom  he  judges  to 
be  best  qualified  to  manage  the  trust  to  be  confided,  and  whose 
services  he  can  obtain  ;  or  he  aims  to  secure  the  greatest 
amount  of  good.  And  while  he  thus  acts,  he  secures  the 
confidence  and  wins  the  applause  of  all  honorable  men. 

In  the  capacity  of  a  wise  and  righteous  sovereign,  the  Son 
of  God  presides  over  the  world  and  its  concerns.  In  man- 
aging the  vast  variety  of  interests  committed  to  him,  he 
chooses  his  own  servants,  or  official  agents.  Nor  is  there 
anything  capricious,  or  oppressive,  invidious,  or  injurious, 
in  the  choice  he  makes.  He  never  acts  without  reason; 
nor  without  a  reason,  which  fairly  and  fully  justifies  his  pro- 
ceedings to  all  who  are  concerned.  Those  who  are  elected, 
are  highly  honored,  but  their  responsibilities  are  increased. 
They  are  not  introduced  into  a  sinecure,  where  nothing  is  to 
be  done  ;  but  they  are  called  to  action,  which  requires  the 
full  exercise  of  all  their  talents.  And  those  who  are  not 
chosen  are  not  injured  :  they  are  not  deprived  of  any  of 
their  rights;  they  are  not  reprobated;  but  are  left  in  the  free 
and  unrestrained  enjoyment  of  their  privileges  ;  and  they 
have  no  ground  to  take  offence,  or  to  talk  of  partialities 
which  are  cherished  to  their  detriment.  In  fact,  they  who 
are  elected,  are  servants  to  those  who  are  not  elected. 

Let  us  look  at  some  particular  examples,  which  will  fully 
illustrate  our  meaning;  and  which  may,  perhaps,  need  some 
explanation  on  their  own  account.  God  chose  Isaac  in  pre- 
ference to  Ishmael : — had  he  any  reason  for  so  doing  ?  Yes, 
replies  an  apostle.  These  "things  are  an  allegory  ;  for  these 
are  the  two  covenants;  the  one  from  mount  Sinai,  which 
22 


254  LECTURES  ON 

gendereth  to  bondage." — But  we  who  live  under  the  chris- 
tian dispensation,  "  are,  as  Isaac  was,  the  children  of  'pro- 
mise ;"  or,  we  are  "children  of  the  free  ;" — are  not  in  bondage, 
but  are  heirs  of  liberty.  Thus  God  did,  by  the  election  of 
Isaac,  give,  long  before  their  introduction,  an  emblem  of  the 
two  covenants,  and  a  view  of  their  respective  characters.  Has 
not  Paul  assigned  a  sufficient  reason  in  this  case  ? — Neither 
was  there  any  violence  offered  to  the  parties  concerned, 
agreeably  to  the  ideas  which  then  prevailed,  or  the  distinc- 
tions in  society  which  then  existed.  For  Ishrnael  was  the 
son  of  the  bond-woman,  and  Isaac  was  the  son  of  the  free- 
woman  :  and  the  respective  circumstances  of  the  two  indi- 
viduals, furnished  a  fair  opportunity  to  make  the  allegorical 
representation. 

Afterwards  Jacob  was  chosen  in  preference  to  Esau. — 
While  they  were  yet  unborn,  and  when  they  had  done  neither 
good  nor  evil,  their  mother  was  informed,  that  the  elder 
should  serve  the  younger. 

Here,  by  the  way,  we  may  remark,  that  election  had  not 
the  most  distant  reference  to  Adam's  sin,  according  to  the 
connexions  in  which  it  must  stand,  if  the  popular  doctrine  be 
admitted  ;  for,  then  the  apostle's  remark,  that  the  children 
had  personally  done  neither  good  nor  evil,  would  be  altogether 
superfluous;  and  his  further  explanation — lhat  the  purpose  of 
God,  according  to  election  might  stand,  not  of  works,  but 
of  him  that  calleth,  would  not  reach  the  case  ;  because  he  re- 
solves the  election  into  the  simple  purpose  of  God — it  is  of 
him  that  calleth :  and  because,  that  when  he  meets  the  ob- 
jection, which  charges  partiality  or  unrighteousness  on  the 
government  of  God,  he  never  even  hints  at  Adam's  sin, 
which  yet,  according  to  the  doctrine  maintained  on  the  sub- 
ject, would  have  effectually  justified  the  whole  transaction. 

But  to  return  ;  God  told  Rebecca  that  the  elder  should 
serve  the  younger.  And  why  ?  Can  any  reason  be  assigned 
for  so  singular  a  transaction  ?  In  the  preceding  part  of  the 
chapter,  where  the  statement  is  made,*  the  apostle  had  de- 
tailed the  privileges  of  Jacob's  descendants ;  but  he  had 
done  this  with  great  heaviness  of  heart,  because  he  foresaw 
the  sore  judgments  which  should  soon  overtake  them  ;  and 
he  was  just  about  entering  on  the  painful  subject.  In  the 
outset  of  his  discussion,  he  meets  an  objection,  which  might 
embarrass  his  argument ;  and  apparently  keeping  away  from 
the  distressing  subject  as  long  as  possible,  or  designing  to 

•Rom.  ix. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  255 

open  it  up  gradually  to  his  brethren,  he  first  meets  that  ob- 
jection.    It  is  this.      If  the  children  of  Israel    be  cast  off, 

then  the  promise  God  gave  to  Abraham  would  be  violated  : — 
'.'  The  word  of  God  hath  then  taken  none  effect'  is  his  lan- 
guage. Now,  as  God's  promise  cannot  be  broken,  it  fol- 
lows that  the  children  of  Israel  cannot  be  cast  off.  The 
objection  had  its  weight,  but  was  not  unanswerable.  He 
then  proceeds  to  answer  it. 

"  They,"  said  he,  "are  not  all  Israel,  who  are  of  Israel; 
neither  because  they  are  the  seed  of  Abraham,  are  they  all 
children.  You  remember,  continues  he,  that  the  promise 
itself  was — "  In  Isaac  thy  seed  shall  be  called  ;"  but  Ishmael 
was  of  the  seed  of  Abraham.  The  casting  out  of  Ishmael, 
did  not  make  void  the  promise.  And  not  only  this,  but  you 
also  remember  the  case  of  Esau  and  Jacob:  of  whom  God 
has  said,  "Jacob  have  I  loved,  but  Esau  have  I  hated." — 
Now  Esau  was  of  the  seed  of  Abraham,  and  yet  was  rejected. 
The  rejection  of  Esau  does  not  violate  God's  promise.  In 
other  words,  the  casting  away  of  Abraham's  literal  posterity 
will  not  destroy  the  covenant  made  with  him.  Your  stand- 
ing then  as  God's  peculiar  people,  is  not  secured  by  the  con- 
sideration, that  you  are  Abraham's  seed. 

Now  the  case  of  Esau  and  Jacob  was  intended  to  explain 
the  then  present  condition  of  the  jews  ;  or  like  that  of  Ish- 
mael and  Isaac,  had  been  a  provision  for  the  coming  times — 
an  allegory,  whose  import  subsequent  events  would  unfold. 
And  to  make  this  provision  was  the  simple  reason  of  the 
election  in  both  cases.  Adam's  sin  had  nothing  to  do  with 
either  the  one  or  the  other. 

.  Accordingly,  when  the  purpose  of  election  was  announced 
to  Rebecca,  no  outward  violence  is  done  to  the  two  brothers. 
Esau  sold  his  birth-right,  and  behaved  himself  as  indiffer- 
ently as  Ishmael  had  done.  Jacob,  it  is  true,  appears  to 
have  acted  very  disingenuously  ;  and  his  mother  deported  her- 
self as  strangely  as  either.  But  the  providence  of  God,  de- 
clining to  interfere  with  the  free  agency  of  his  creatures, 
must,  of  course,  take  mankind  as  he  finds  them,  and  as  he 
certainly  foreknows  they  will  be  ;  nor  can  he  do  otherwise, 
unless  he  shall  directly  interfere  with,  and  effectually  con- 
trol their  personal  volitions.  He  must,  therefore,  act  on  his 
own  foreknowledge. 

Further — the  apostle,  in  stating  the  case,  uses  the  prophet's 
language  instead  of  his  own ;  and  thus  he  eluded  any  per- 
gonal reproach  from  the  jews,  while  he  established  his  ar- 


256  LECTURES  ON 

gument  by  authority  which  they  could  not  dispute  : — "  Jacob 
have  I  loved,  and  Esau  have  I  hated."  But  perhaps  the 
prophet  did  not  mean  the  thing  which  the  apostle  endea- 
vored to  make  him  speak.  The  jews,  therefore,  as  fair  rea- 
soners,  would  either  give  up  the  point  in  debate,  or  go  back 
and  inquire  what  the  prophet  did  report.  Perhaps  our  own 
argument  may  be  thought  defective;  let  us  then  go  to  the 
witness  himself.  Malachi's  language  is  as  follows — "  I  have 
loved  you  saith  the  Lord.  Vet  ye  say,  wherein  hast  thou 
loved  as  ?  Was  not  Esau  Jacob's  brother  ?  saith  the  Lord  : 
yet  I  loved  Jacob,  and  I  hated  Esau,  and  laid  his  mountains 
and  his  heritage  waste  for  the  dragons  of  the  wilderne  — 
"What  exhibition  is  here  afforded  of  God's  hatred  to  Esau  ? 
None  that  we  can  see,  saving  that  the  Lord  says — "  I  laid  his 
mountains  and  his  heritage  waste  for  the  dragons  of  the  wil- 
derness." And  what  proof  have  v\  e  of  God's  love  to  Jacob  ? 
Xone  that  we  can  see.  saving  that  he  did  not  deal  with  him 
as  he  did  with  Esau  ;  i.  e.  he  did  not  lay  his  mountains  and 
his  heritage  waste  for  the  dragons  of  the  wilderness,  but  gave 
him  a  goodly  heritage  in  the  land  of  Canaan.  This  view  of 
the  transaction  precisely  corresponds  with  our  general  argu- 
ment ;  and  instead  of  describing  an  election  of  individuals 
unto  eternal  life,  asserts  an  election  of  a  different  character 
altogether:  an  election  which  is  to  subserve  the  general 
purposes  of  the  mediatorial  government,  as  presiding  over 
the  whole  world. 

The  account  given  by  Malachi,  is  the  very  same  given  by 
Moses,  when  he  records  the  whole  matter  with  regard  to  the 
two  brothers.  Isaac  said  to  Jacob, — M  God  give  thee  of  the 
dew  of  heaven,  and  the  fatness  of  the  earth,  and  plenty  of 
corn  and  wine  :  let  people  serve  thee,  and  nations  bow  down 
to  thee  :  be  lord  over  thy  brethren,  and  let  thy  mother's  sons 
bow  down  to  thee  :  cursed  be  every  one  that  curseth  thee, 
and  blessed  be  he  that  blesseth  thee."  Afterwards  Esau 
came,  concerning  whom,  Paul  remarks, — "  for  one  morsel 
of  meat  he  sold  his  birth-right  ;  for  ye  know  that  afterwards, 
when  he  would  have  inherited  the  blessing,  he  was  rejected; 
for  he  found  no  place  for  repentance,  though  he  sought  it 
carefully  with  tears."  What  blessing  did  he  so  ardently 
covet  ?  When  did  he  so  bitterly  weep  ?  Who  rejected  him, 
and  would  not  repent,  or  recall  what  he  had  done  ?  Look 
at  him  standing  in  his  father's  presence.  There  he  weeps  : 
there  he  reproaches  Jacob ;    and  asks  his  father  to  repent, 

•Mai.  i.  2,  3. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  257 

and  recall  the  blessing  which  had  been  given  to  Jacob. 
Isaac  did  not  repent;  he  did  not  recal  what  he  had  done; 
but  while  he  blessed  the  humble  and  weeping  suppliant,  he 
left  Jacob  in  full  possession  of  the  birth-right,  and  all  its  pri- 
vileges. It  is  to  this  transaction,  whose  results  so  ex- 
actly corresponded  with  God's  purpose  of  election — the  el- 
der shall  serve  the  younger,  that  both  the  prophet  and  the 
apostle  refer.  This  case  of  election,  therefore,  stands  forth 
before  us  a  pure  official  matter,  and  totally  different  from 
what  it  is  often  represented  to  be. 

Who  can  object  to  the  preceding  exposition  ?  The  eter- 
nal must  have  such  political  rights  and  powers,  so  to  term 
them,  whether  the  view  of  election,  which  we  controvert, 
be  true  or  false.  To  object  to  them,  seems  to  us,  to  de- 
fraud him  of  his  prerogative,  and  disrobe  him  of  his  supre- 
macy; and  what  then  should  become  of  the  doctrine  of  di- 
vine sovereignty  !  An  earthly  potentate,  thus  treated,  would 
be  deprived  of  all  legislative  power,  and  executive  patron- 
age:  would  be  in  tact  converted  into  a  mere  royal  pageant, 
whom  no  political  party  could  respect;  and  all  government 
must  be  at  an  end,  or  the  prerogative  must  be  transferred  to 
ministerial  hands.  And  can  any  one  so  regard  the  King 
of  glory?  To  object,  seems  to  me  to  impeach  his  wisdom 
and  integrity,  and  in  effect  to  say, — "  why  doth  he  then  find 
fault,  for  who  hath  resisted  his  will  ?"  Then  we  retire,  leav- 
ing Paul  as  the  respondent.  "Nay  but  O  man,"  he  rejoins, 
"  who  art  thou  that  repliest  against  God?  Shall  the  thing 
formed  say  to  him  that  formed  it,  why  hast  thou  made  me 
thus  ?  Hath  not  the  potter  power  over  the  clay,  of  the  same 
lump,  to  make  one  vesselunto  honor,  and  another  unto  dis- 
honor r"      The  objection  is  met  and  answered. 

The  apostle,  however,  in  replying  to  the  objection,  has 
made  use  of  an  analogical  case,  which  has  been,  and  very 
often  is,  erroneously  interpreted.  He  is  supposed  to  speak 
of  the  glory  of  God,  abstractedly  considered,  and  without  any 
reference  to  the  good  of  the  creature  ; — a  moral  view,  which 
certainly  ought  not  to  find  any  place  in  the  preaching  of 
the  gospel :  seeing  that  the  gospel,  while  it  proclaims  glory 
to  God  in  the  highest,  yet,  at  the  same  time,  proclaims 
peace  on  earth  and  good  will  towards  men.  But  the  case, 
which  he  states,  calls  for  no  such  interpretation.  The  whole 
affair  is  a  quotation, and  is  taken  from  the  writings  of  Jeremiah; 
to  which  we  must  turn,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  true  design. 
Jeremiah  was  told  by  the  Lord  to  go  down  to  the  potter's 
22* 


258  LECTURES  ON 

house.  He  went  as  he  was  commanded,  and  the  potter 
"  wrought  a  work  upon  the  wheels.  And  the  vessel  that 
he  made  of  clay  was  marred  in  the  hands  of  the  potter;  so 
he  made  it  again  another  vessel,  as  seemed  good  to  the  pot- 
ter to  make  it."  The  clay  was  then  so  marred,  that  the 
potter  made  another  vessel  of  it,  than  he  at  first  intended. 
This  circumstance  forms  the  turning  point  of  the  allusion. 
And  though  a  sort  of  sovereignty  is  predicated  of  the  potter, 
evidently  he  is  represented  as  making  the  best  of  the  disap- 
pointment he  had  met  with. 

The  Lord  himself  applies  the  symbol,  to  which  he  had 
called  the  prophet's  attention. — "O  house  of  Israel,  cannot 
I  do  with  you  as  this  potter  ?  saith  the  Lord.  Behold  as 
the  clay  in  the   hands  of  the  potter,  so  are  ye  in  my  hands,. 

0  house  of  Israel.  At  what  instant  I  shall  speak  concern- 
ing a  nation,  and  concerning  a  kingdom,  to  pluck  up,  and 
to  pull  down,  and  to  destroy  kj  if  that  nation  against  whom 

1  have  pronounced,  turn  from  their  evil,  I  will  repent  of 
the  evil  that  I  thought  to  do  unto  them.  And  at  what  in- 
stant I  shall  speak  concerning  a  nation,  and  concerning  a 
kingdom,  to  build  and  to  plant  it~  if  it  do  evil  in  my  sight,, 
that  it  obey  not  my  voice,  then  I  will  repent  of  the  good 
wherewith  I  said  I  would  benefit  them."*  Here  then  Jeho- 
vah himself  makes  the  doings  of  the  potter  symbolical  of  hi& 
own  transactions  among  the  nations,  of  whom  eternal  life  is 
not  to  be  predicated  ;  and  declares  his  intentions  concerning 
them  to  be  modified,  according  as  they  shall,  or  shall  not,  do 
evil  : — even  as  the  potter  makes  another  vessel,  when  the 
clay  is  marred  fn  his  hands.  Accordingly  thus  the  apostle 
applies  the  simile.  " What, ""  says  he,  "if  God,  willing  to 
show  his  wrath,  endured  with  much  long-suffering,  the  ves- 
sels of  wrath  fitted  to  destruction!"  Vessels  of  wrath — or 
cray  marred  in  the  hands  of  the  potter — nations  that  had 
done  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord — the  Jewish  nation,  who 
were  now  about  to  be  cast  off  for  their  unbelief!  The  ana- 
logy has  nothing  to  do  with  an  election  of  individuals  unto 
eternal  life;  nay,  even  while  the  nation  was  rejected,  a  rem- 
nant was  saved,  or  incorporated,  for  the  father's  sake,  in 
the  new  dispensation,  of  whom  eternal  life  is  not  at  any  time 
asserted. 

The  case  of  Pharaoh  has,  often  times,  been  an  offence,  or 
a  stumbling-block,  in  the  way  of  an  humble  inquirer  after 
truth.     He  has  been  led  to  imagine,  that  God  did  actually 

*Jer.  xriif.  1 — 10. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  259 

harden  Pharaoh's  heart,  or,  by  some  direct  agency,  did  pre- 
vent him  from  obeying  the  divine  command,  delivered  by 
Moses;  and  that  too,  on  purpose  to  destroy  him;  or  to 
compel  him,  under  a  most  miserable  infatuation,  to  rush  pre- 
sumptuously on  his  fate.  A  mere  sectarian,  ignorant  of 
the  purity  and  loftiness  of  moral  principle,  and  repulsing 
every  fair  and  consistent  explanation,  might  strenuously  de- 
fend such  a  theocratic  view;  or  he  might  pertinaciously  as- 
sert, as  Jehovah  declares  that  the  jews  did  assert, — ye 
"come  and  stand  before  me  in  this  house,  which  is  called 
by  my  name,  and  say  we  are  delivered  to  do  all  these 
abominations."*  But  from  such  a  fabulous  and  harsh  com- 
mentary on  the  divine  proceedings,  or  from  such  a  defence 
of  the  flagitious  conduct  of  men,  the  human  mind,  if  it 
has  not  been  spoiled  through  philosophy  and  vain  deceit 
after  the  tradition  of  men,  instinctively  revolts.  The  ques- 
tion, however,  is,  how  can  we  escape  from  the  interpreta- 
tion, when  we  look  at  the  terms  ?  The  theologian  is  per- 
plexed ;  and  the  infidel  feels  himself  entitled  to  scoff  at  di- 
vine revelation.  But  manifestly  the  whole  case  is  covered 
by  the  principles  developed  in  the  quotation,  just  made  from 
the  prophecies  of  Jeremiah.  If  the  views,  which  have  been 
advanced  in  relation  to  election,  be  correct,  this  case 
presents  the  opposite  side  of  this  great  subject :  and  both 
sides  of  that  subject  may  well  be  looked  for,  under  an  ad- 
ministration, which  presides  over  good  and  evil.  Why 
should  not  the  consequences  of  sin  be  symbolised,  as  well 
as  the  consequences  of  righteousness? — Let  the  following 
explanatory  remarks  be  duly  considered. 

1.  It  is  abundantly  clear,  that  though  Pharaoh  appears  to 
be  referred  to  individually,  yet  that  reference  is  to  his  official 
character,  as  the  king  of  Egypt.  The  language  is  similar 
to,  and  to  be  interpreted  on  the  same  principles  with,  that 
which  is  used  concerning  the  hebrews,  when  God  said, — 
"Israel  is  my  son."  The  whole  case  is  to  be  expounded 
by  the  rules,  which  belong  to  Jehovah's  government  over 
nations  ;  and  which  he  himself  has  so  distinctly  stated  by 
the  prophet  Jeremiah. 

2.  It  is  positively  asserted  that  Pharaoh  hardened  his  own 
heart.  He  reasoned  on  the  whole  subject,  which  Moses 
presented  to  his  consideration,  as  a  politician.  He  was  cal- 
culating the  consequences  which  would  accrue  to  his  own 
people,  on  the  sudden  exodus  of  such  an  immense  multitude 

•Jer.  vii.  10. 


OgO  LECTURES  ON 

of  slaves,  on  whose  labor  the  nation  had  been  so  loner  ac- 
customed to  depend.     He  foresaw  the  serious  difficulties  in 
which  they  should   be  involved, — the  utter  helplessness  to 
which  they  should  be  reduced.     The  rights  of  the  hebrews, 
— the  history  of  their  settlement   in  Eo-ypt, — the  gratitude 
which  any  recollection  of  Joseph's  ministerial  services  might 
have  inspired. — the  well  known  tradition  that  Abraham's 
children  should  return  to  their  own  land,  and  the  miracles 
which  had  been  wrought  before  his  eyes  ;    were  the  consid- 
erations, which,  as  a  moralist,  he  ought  most  carefully,  and 
deliberately,  to  have  weighed.     But  I  will  freely  admit,  that 
when  politics  and  morals  are  brought  into  collision, — whe- 
ther the  problem  be  presented  to  civil  or  ecclesiastical  poli- 
ticians,— mankind  have  found  considerable  difficulty  in  act- 
ing right.     They  have   no  reason,  in  doing  wrong,  either 
to  complain,  or  to  be  surprised,  if  a  retributive  providence 
should  at  last  overtake  them.     Should   a  course  of  forbear- 
ance be  pursued,  which  allows  them  full  time  to  reconsider 
and   rectify  these  errors,  this  is  more  than  they  could  de- 
mand from  mere  justice  ;   and  all  that  they  could  expect 
from  grace.     Thus  God  does  deal,  even  with  nations, — as 
he  states  in  the  passage  already  quoted; — "At  what  instant 
I  shall  speak  concerning  a  nation,  and  concerning  a  king- 
dom, to  pluck  up,  and   to  pull  down,  and  to  destroy  it;   if 
that  nation,  against  whom  I  have  pronounced,  turn  from  their 
evil,  I  will  repent  of  the  evil  that  I  thought  to  do  unto  it."* 
Thus  God  did  deal  with  Pharaoh.  Long  did  he  forbear;   and 
at  any  time  had  Pharaoh  turned  from  evil,  he  might  have  es- 
caped the  calamities  under  which  he  suffered,  and  the  catastro- 
phe in  which  the  judicial   process  terminated.     Under  this 
view,  no  ense  can  be  plainer;   whether  that  case  be  individ- 
ual or  official.     Nothing  more  is  required  of  any  controver- 
tist,  in  order  to  see  it  so,  than  to  consider,  that  politics  are 
but  a  branch  of  morals  ;  that  God  governs  nations  as  well  as 
individuals;   and  that  his  providence  towards  one  is  emble- 
matic of  his  providence  towards  the  other. 

3.  The  difficulties,  which  theologians  have  felt  with  re- 
gard to  the  expressions  concerning  Pharaoh,  arise  from  their 
not  considering  the  use  which  the  hebrews  made  of  active 
verbs.  These  were  often  employed  to  express  a  mere  per- 
mission to  do  a  thing,  or  a  mere  prophecy  of  some  particu- 
lar event.  Take  this  example  of  the  first; — "If  the  pro- 
phet be  deceived,  when  he  hath  spoken  a  thing,  I  the  Lord 

*  Jer.  sviii.  7,  8. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  261 

have  deceived  that  prophet."  Do  you,  can  you,  for  a  mo- 
ment suppose,  that  God  is  guilty  of  the  immorality  of  prac- 
ticing a  deception  upon  the  mind  of  any  creature,  who,  in 
consequence  of  that  deception,  is  involved  in  everlasting 
perdition  ?  If  the  use  of  terms,  or  a  grammatical  principle 
belonging  to  any  language  from  which  those  terms  are  de- 
rived, will  explain  such  a  measure  in  a  consistent  manner, 
all  difficulty  is  removed  ;  and  no  wisdom  is  displayed  in  the 
fastidiousness  that  refuses  to  be  satisfied.  Every  generous 
and  elevated  mind  would  rejoice,  to  be  relieved  from  such 
an  onerous  and  dishonorable  imputation  on  the  moral  sys- 
tem he  had  espoused. 

Take  these  examples  of  the  second:  God  said  to  Jeremi-. 
ah, — "See  I  have  this  dny  set  thee  over  the  nations  and 
over  the  kingdoms,  to  root  out,  and  to  pull  down,  and  to  des- 
troy, and  to  throw  down,  to  build  and  to  plant."*  Thus  Eze- 
kiel  speaks  of  himself,  referring  to  his  official  attitude  as  a 
prophet: — "And  it  was  according  to  the  vision  which  I 
saw,  even  according  to  the  vision  which  I  saw  when  /  came 
to  destroy  the  city."i  God  gave  this  command  to  Isaiah  ; — 
"Make  the  heart  of  this  people  fat,  and  make  their  ears  heavy, 
and  shut  their  eyes  ;  lest  they  see  with  their  eyes,  and  hear 
with  their  ears,  and  understand  with  their  heart,  and  convert, 
and  be  healed. "t  The  chief  butler,  giving  an  account  of 
Joseph's  ability  to  interpret  dreams,  said, — "Me  he  restored 
unto  mine  office,  and  him  he  hanged." §  Mere  prophecy, 
and  nothing  more,  is  expressed  by  the  terms  ;  as  is  abun- 
dantly evident,  not  only  from  their  own  application  ;  but 
from  the  fact,  that  when  the  redeemer  interpreted  the  pro- 
phecy uttered  by  Isaiah,. he  charges  the  guilt  directly  upon 
the  jews. — "Their  eyes  they  have  closed."  \\  Interpret  the  term 
harden,  when  applied  to  God's  dealings  with  Pharaoh, 
under  the  recollection  that  the  hebrews  did  thus  employ  ac- 
tive verbs,  and  the  whole  matter  is  plain. 

4.  Let  us  put  the  different  passages,  as  the  apostle  Paul 
applies  them  to  Pharaoh,  together,  and  then  we  may,  per- 
haps, distinctly  perceive  their  import. — "I  will  have  mercy 
on  whom  I  will  have  mercy,  and  I  will  have  compassion,  on 
whom  I  will  have  compassion. — Even  for  this  same  purpose 
have  I  raised  thee  up,  that  I  might  show  my  power  in  thee, 
and  that  my  name  might  be  declared  throughout  the  earth. 
Therefore  hath  he  mercy  on  whom  he  will  have  mercy,  and 

•Jer.i.  10.  jEzek.  xliii.  3.  J  Isaiah  vi.  10. 

§Gen.  xii.  13.  ||  Rom.  ix.  If — 17,  13. 


26*2  LECTURES  ON 

whom  he  will  he  hardeneth.  What  if  God,  willing  to  show 
his  wrath,  and  to  make  his  power  known,  endured  with  much 
long  suffering'  the  vessels  of  wrath  fitted  to  destruction.*  In 
exodus,  the  phrase  is,  "I  will  be  gracious  to  whom  I  will 
be  gracious,  and  will  show  mercy  to  whom  I  will  show 
mercy."  The  very  same  principle  runs  through  all  these 
passages:  they  all  express  the  same  political  operation  of 
the  governor  of  the  world.  To  have  compassion, — to  show 
mercy,  to  harden,  and  to  endure,  with  much  long-suffering, 
are,  in  this  connexion,  synonymous,  and  interchangeable. 
They  are  not  intended  to  convey  any  idea  of  judicial  blind- 
ness;  or  of  a  direct  agency,  by  which  Jehovah  rendered  it 
impossible  for  Pharaoh  to  obey  the  summons,  which  he  had 
received.  On  the  contrary,  their  meaning  is  perfectly  coin- 
cident with  the  fact,  as  the  history  evinces.  God  did  show 
compassion,  or  mercy,  and  did  endure  with  much  long-suffering, 
when,  on  Pharaoh's  professed  repentance,  judgment  after 
judgment  was  kindly  removed.  The  effect  which  followed 
was,  that  Pharaoh  hardened  his  own  heart.  And  as  this  ef- 
fect did  follow  the  compassion  and  long-suffering  which 
God  displayed,  he  is  said,  not  positively  nor  judicially,  but 
agreeably  to  the  use  of  active  verbs  among  the  hebrews,  to 
harden  Pharaoh's  heart.  Besides,  the  expressions  refer 
simply  to  national  character  and  doings,  as  is  evident  in  re- 
lation both  to  Pharaoh  and  Israel. t 

Moreover,  the  interpretation  which  God  gives  of  his  own 
transactions,  by  the  prophet  Jeremiah,  evinces  that,  not  only 
was  the  removing  of  the  judgments  in  Pharaoh's  case  mer- 
ciful, but  the  object  of  that  removal  was  to  give  him  space 
to  repent:  for  it  is  said, — "  If  that  nation,  against  whom  I 
have  pronounced,  turn  from  their  evil,  I  will  repent  of  the 
evil  which  I  thought  to  do  unto  them."  Accordingly  Pha- 
raoh is  exhibited  as  a  vessel  of  wrath  fitted,  or  who  had  fit- 
ted himself,  for  destruction.  He  was  like  the  clay  marred 
in  the  hands  of  the  potter;  by  which  Jehovah  figuratively 
describes  a  nation  which  had  done  evil. 

But  then  God  said  to  this  infatuated  politician, — "  For 
this  same  purpose  Ihave  raised  thee  up,  that  I  might  show 
my  power  in  thee,  and  that  my  name  might  be  declared 
throughout  all  the  earth  r"  True.  But  in  the  original  he- 
brew,  the  phrase  literally  signifies,  "  I  have  made  thee  to 
stand."  This  declaration,  too,  is  equivalent  with  showing 
compassion  or  mercy,  and  enduring  with  long-suffering.     For 

*  Mat.  xiii.  15.  f  See  Exod,  xxxiii.  19." 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  0(33 

it  was  by  these  means  that  the  nation  was  made  to  stand,  or 
was  preserved.  Otherwise,  any  one  of  the  judgments 
would  have  swept  them  into  destruction.  Time  was  grant- 
ed for  repentance  ;  but  as  repentance  was  not  produced, 
God  dealt  with  that  obdurate  people  as  the  potter  dealt  with 
the  clay,  when  it  was  marred  in  his  hand,  and  while  he  was 
endeavoring  to  make  it  "  a  vessel  of  honor."  So  God  in 
his  providence,  presiding  over  an  intermixture  of  good  and 
evil,  must  deal  with  mankind.  If  they  will  not  suffer  him 
to  guide  them  to  glory,  honor  and  immortality,  and  thereby 
demonstrate  the  connexion  between  righteousness  and  life; 
they  must  expect  to  be  dealt  with  "  as  vessels  of  wrath," 
long  carried  with  great  care,  but  at  length  dashed  into 
pieces,  that  the  connexion  between  sin  and  death  may  be 
set  forth.  The  apparent  assertion,  that  God  dealt  thus  with 
Pharaoh,  on  purpose  to  destroy  him,  is  nothing  more  than 
the  idiomatic  form  of  speech,  so  common  in  the  hebrew 
language,  and  which  has  already  been  noticed  in  the  pecu- 
liar use  of  active  verbs,  which  characterize  it.* 

Now  as  this  nation  did  not  repent;  as  the  governor  of  the 
world  must  make  a  consistent  and  profitable  use  of  their  of- 
ficial relations;  and  as  a  period  had  .occurred  in  the  history 
of  man,  when  something  must  be  done  in  order  to  preserve 
truth  in  the  world;  while  Jehovah,  on  the  one  hand,  elects 
the  children  of  Israel  through  grace,  to  be  a  symbolical  exhi- 
bition of  truth,  so,  on  the  other,  he  manifests  correlative 
views  of  truth,  by  his  dealing  with  Pharaoh.  The  whole 
matter  is  brought  out,  on  both  sides,  to  stand  distinct  and 
prominent;  not  to  show  us,  that  God  elects  some  to  ever- 
lasting life,  and  reprobates  others  to  everlasting  condemna- 
tion; but  to  "  declare  his  name  throughout  all  the  earth  :" — 
Or  his  design  was,  and  is,  to  manifest  his  truth,  that  all  men 
might  see,  believe  and  be  saved.  The  display  comes  home 
to  them,  as  being  placed  on  their  personal  responsibilities; 
and  not,  as  having  their  fate  determinedly  and  unalterably 
fixed,  by  an  eternal  and  arbitrary  decree.  So  then,  if  man 
perishes,  he  perishes  by  his  own  fault,  the  election  itself  be- 
ing the  criterion  by  which  the  moral  problem  is  to  be  solved. 

The  subject  of  this  providential  superintendence,  admit- 
ting so  broad  a  distinction  between  official  services  and  indi- 
vidual interest,  is  also  beautifully  illustrated  by  the  redeemer, 
in  one  of  his  parables.  "The  kingdom  of  heaven,"  said 
he,  "  is  like  unto  a  man  that  is  an  householder,  which  went 

*Soc  M'Knight's  Notes  on  Rom.  ix.  4. 


264  LECTURES  ON 

out  early  in  the  morning  to  hire  laborers  into  his  vineyard. 
And  when  he  had  agreed  with  the  laborers  for  a  penny  a 
day,  he  sent  them  into  his  vineyard."  At  different  times,  dur- 
ing the  day,  he  sent  other  laborers  into  the  vineyard,  pro- 
mising to  give  them  whatever  was  right.  In  the  evening, 
when  the  hours  of  labor  were  past,  he  called  the  laborers 
to  give  them  their  hire:  and  he  gave  to  each  one  a  penny. 
Those  who  came  into  the  vineyard  early  in  the  morning 
were  offended  at  the  conduct  of  their  employer,  and  remon- 
strated against  his  apparent  injustice.  "  These  last,"  said 
they,  "  have  wrought  but  one  hour,  and  thou  hast  made 
them  equal  to  us,  which  have  borne  the  burthen  and  heat  of 
the  day.  But  he  answered  one  of  them,  and  said, — Friend, 
J  do  thee  no  wrong  :  didst  not  thou  agree  with  me  for  a 
penny  ?  Take  that  thine  is  and  go  thy  way  ;  I  will  give  unto 
this  last  even  as  unto  thee.  Is  it  not  lawful  for  me  to  do 
what  I  will  with  my  own  ?  Is  thine  eve  evil  because  I  am 
good?"  Now,  says  the  redeemer,  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  like  to  this  householder.  But  in  what  respect  ?  In  this, 
he  replies,  that  "  many  are  called,  but  few  are  chosen."*  If 
this  be  so,  then  the  choice  of  the  few,  does  not  interfere  with 
the  rights  of  the  many:  they  are  still  respected,  and  get 
their  penny,  the  full  reward  of  their  labor.  Or,  God  in  his 
own  goodness,  regulating  his  kingdom  according  to  his  own 
wisdom,  may  confer  distinguished  honors  on  a  few,  and  carry 
out  in  his  providence  a  "purpose  of  election,"  without  in- 
fringing on  the  moral  privileges  of  the  rest.  The  way  to 
eternal  life  is  open  to  all,  notwithstanding  the  election 
which  hastaken  place.  The  election  does  not  infringe  upon 
the  universality  of  the  atonement;  neither  is  it  an  election 
unto  eternallife,  which  leaves  all  who  are  not  chosen  to  perish: 
but  it  is  a  pure  rectoral  matter  by  which  God  does  no  wrong 
to  any  one  ;  and  is  perfectly  consistent  with  the  salvation  of 
every  man.  Then  the  scriptural  doctrine  on  this  unuttera- 
bly interesting  subject,  leaves  the  personal  responsibility  of 
each  one,  as  placed  under  mediatorial  law  and  accountable 
to  Christ  his  judge,  unimpaired. 

Such  then  are  the  scriptural  views  of  the  doctrine  of  el- 
ection. Nor  do  I  know  of  any  other  form  in  which  the 
bible  states  that  doctrine,  unless  it  may  be  that  which  is  im- 
plied in  the  declaration, — "  The  Lord  has  set  apart  him  that 
is  godly  for  himself."  And  this  exhibition  of  the  doctrine, 
so    far  as  personal   responsibility  is    concerned,  is  exactly 

•Mat.  xx.  1—16. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  265 


what  it  should  be.  It  leaves  the  statement  which  the  re- 
deemer has  made  concerning  the  resurrection  unembar- 
rassed:— "The  hour  is  coming,  in  the  which  all  that  are  in 
the  graves  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  shall 
come  forth  ;  they  that  have  done  good  unto  the  resurrection 
of  life;  and  they  that  have  done  evil,  unto  the  resurrection 
of  damnation."*  It  involves  no  reprobation;  or  giving  over 
unto  eternal  perdition,  excepting  on  the  ground  of  personal 
crime.  And  in  fact,  no  other  view  in  reference  to  personal 
responsibility,  would  correspond  with  the  gospel  as  an  exhi- 
bition of  the  righteousness  of  Christ;  for  by  that  righteous- 
ness, all  men  are  made  righteous,  and  are  brought  into  justi- 
fication of  life.  There  is  no  election  to  restrict  the  resur- 
rection of  the  dead. 

It  now  only  remains  for  me  briefly  to  consider  some  gen- 
eral reasoning,  which  is  conceived  to  be  utterly  subversive 
of  the  preceding  views,  and  directly  in  favor  of  a  limited 
atonement,  or  an  election  of  individuals  unto  eternal  life. 
All  will  say,  God  is  omniscient,  and  therefore  he  foreknows 
whatever  comes  to  pass.  And  what  then  ?  Whatsoever 
-God  foreknows  will  certainly,  it  is  supposed,  come  to  pass,  and 
is  of  course  fixed  and  certain — foreordained,  or  predestined. 
Foreknowledge  and  preordination,  are  thus  represented  to  be 
in  fact  the  same  thing  ;  and  we  are  ofttm  told  that  it  is  scarcely 
worth  while  to  distinguish  between  them,  seeing  that  either 
will  lead  infallibly  to  the  same  result.  Nay  more ;  it  has 
been  said  that  nothing  can  be  foreknown  which  has  not 
been  pre-ordained  :  so  that  the  divine  decrees  are  the  basis 
of  the  divine  foreknowledge.  Such  it  is  imagined  is  the  order 
of  nature  in  the  case.  This  reasoning  will  be  applied  to 
the  subject  we  have  in  hand,  as  follows  : — God  foreknows 
who  will  ultimately  be  saved,  and  who  will  not.  This  is  ne- 
cessarily implied  in  the  fact  that  he  foreknows  all  things  that 
come  to  pass.  In  this  matter  God  cannot  be  deceived. 
The  precise  number  of  those  who  are  eventually  to  be 
saved  is  therefore  certainly  fixed,  beyond  the  power  of 
change;  and  it  is  a  matter  of  small  difference,  whether,  in 
respect  of  that  number,  Gpd  be  said  to  foreknow  or  to  fore- 
ordain it.  Still  further;  as  God  cannot  foreknow  a  thing  to 
come  to  pass,  which  is  not  preordained,  that  precise  num- 
ber is  foreordained : — -those  that  are  saved,  are  elected, 
and  those  who  are  not  saved,  are  reprobated.  I  believe  that 
J  have  stated    the    argument   fairly.      If  any    object  to  the 

•John  v.  28,  29. 

m 


266  LECTURES  ON 

statement,  and  instead  of  reprobating,  would  say  that  those 
who  are  lost  are  passed  by,  I  answer  that  either  this  passing 
by  is  the  consequence  of  a  divine  decree  so  predestinating 
the  matter,  or  it  is  not.  If  it  be  the  consequence  of  a 
decree,  it  is  reprobation.  If  it  be  not  the  consequence 
of  a  decree,  God  has  simply  foreknown  the  things,  and  has 
predetermined  nothing  about  it. — Then  foreknowledge  and 
foreordination  are  not  the  same  thing,  and  as  foreknowl- 
edge is  not  foreordination  in  the  one  case,  neither  is  it  in 
the  other;  so  that,  if  there  be  no  reprobation,  there  is,  bv 
parity  of  reasoning,  no  election. 

I  object  to  the  whole  argument,  thought  it  be  though, 
by  many,  to  be  unanswerable.  The  necessary  connexion  be- 
tween foreknowledge  and  preordination,  which  it  supposes, 
is  not  called  for  by  the  philosophy  of  mind.  We  foreknow 
that  the  sun  will  rise  to-morrow,  and  we  cannot  be  deceived. 
It  is  true,  that  the  rising  of  the  sun  to-morrow  is  a  predeter- 
mined event;  but  though  it  be  so,  yet  its  certainty  does  not 
depend  on  our  volitions.  Here  then  is  mind,  foreknowing 
an  event,  which  must  take  place,  and  yet  without  pre-or- 
daining that  event.  So  far  from  our  predetermining  this 
event,  we  merely  foreknow  it,  while  its  occurrence  depends 
upon  the  volitions  of  another  being  ;  and  had  we  been  igno- 
rant of  the  plans  and  intentions  of  that  other  being,  we  should 
have  foreknown  nothing  about  the  matter. 

We  may  shrewdly  predict  the  results  which  shall  occur 
in  the  history  of  an  individual,  whose  character,  or  conduct, 
or  circumstances,  may  have  furnished  us  with  premises  from 
which  to  reason.  We  may  foretell,  with  unerring  accuracy, 
the  downfall  of  an  empire,  or  a  revolution  in  a  community  : 
and  yet  the  events  which  are  so  unerringly  prophesied, 
have  no  dependance  on  our  volitions.  We  may  kindly  use 
all  our  efforts  to  prevent  these  foreseen  disasters;  may 
feel  the  most  pressing  obligations  so  to  act ;  and  yet  our  in- 
fluence shall  be  exerted  in  vain.  The  more  intellectual  or 
intelligent  a  man  may  be,  the  more  familiar  he  may  become 
with  such  painful  calculations.  Yet  his  power  to  anticipate 
and  declare  such  things,  though  amounting  almost  to  the  im- 
possibility of  committing  a  mistake,  argues  no  preordination 
on  the  part  of  the  individual  whose  prophetic  vision  has  been 
so  clear.  In  fact,  the  old  testament  prophets,  as  well  as  the 
new  testament  apostles,  did  thus  distinctly  and  indubitably 
foretell  events,  which  occurred  centuries  after  they  had  gone 
to  sleep  with  their  fathers ;  and  others,  which,  to  this  hour, 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  267 

are  not  fulfilled.  Yet  their  foreknowledge  did  not  exhibit 
any  power  on  their  part  to  predestine  what  they  had  pro- 
phesied. All  this  is  perfectly  accordant  with  the  philoso- 
phy of  mind.  For  in  all  the  cases  specified,  intellectual  be- 
ings simply  declared  what  they  had  the  power  to  perceive, 
without  any  power  to  preordain.  The  volitions  of  number- 
less other  beings,  and  even  of  generations  of  beings,  passed 
under  their  prophetic  glance  :  and  all,  that  can  be  predicated 
of  the  intellectual  phenomenon,  is,  that  great  power  of  judg- 
ment has  been  evinced. 

God   knows  all  things.     To  him   the   darkness   and  the 
light  are  both  alike.     One  day  is  with  him   as  a  thousand 
years,  and  a  thousand  years  as  one  day.     He  understandeth 
our  thoughts  afar  off.     Nor   is  there  a  word  of  our  tongue 
which  he  does  not  know  altogether.     Give  to  a  human  be- 
ing  such  power,  and  what  will  he  not  be  able  to  foretell? 
What  calculations  can  he  not  make  ?     Where  is  any  neces- 
sity that  he  should  constrain,  or  control,  the  volitions  of  be- 
ings,   whose    hearts   and   ways  are  thus   open  before  him  ? 
Could  he  not  predict  who  would  do  good,  and  who  would  do 
evil  ?      We   repeat    it :    the  philosophy    of   mind   requires 
no  such    indispensable   connexion  between  foreknowledge 
and    foreordination.      And  therefore  the  foreknowledge  of 
God  does  by  no  means  necessarily  imply  his  foreordination. 
To  me  it  seems,  that  the  argument  which  has  been  framed, 
bespeaks  a  higher  degree  of  perfection  in  the  eternal,  than 
that  which  we  combat.     For  certainly  it  requires  more  in- 
tellectual reach,  and  a  wider  range  of  thought,  in  an  intelli- 
gent being,  to  foreknow  and  foretell  the  instantaneous  voli- 
tions and  varied  movements  of  millions  of  other  beings, — of 
a// other  beings,  than  to  foreknow  and  foretell  what  his  own 
volitions  and  movements  shall   be.     The  one  implies  omni- 
science, and   the    other  does    not. — Beings  who  are  free  to 
think  and  free  to    act,  belong  to  a   higher   order  of  intelli- 
gence, than  they  do,  who  have  no  freedom  of  volition:  and 
it  is  always  more  difficult  to  read  their  character,  and  fathom 
their  purposes.       A  slave  can  never  be  compared   with  a 
freeman;   as  he  never  can  possess  half  the  intelligence,  nor 
evince  half   the  intellectual  force.     Slavery  destroys  mind ; 
liberty  cherishes  and  enlarges  it.     The  officer  who  can  go- 
vern a  slave  population,  is,  or  may  be,  wholly  incompetent 
to  preside  over  a  free  community.     Now  man  as  a  free-agent 
is  altogether  a  different  being  from  man  as  not  free,  in  res- 
pect of  religion,  as  well  as  in  regard  of  any  thing  else.     In 


268  LECTURES  ON 

the  latter  case,  he  may  be  charmed  with  a  series  of  "  carnal 
ordinances  i" — pictures  and  images,  fasts  and  festivals,  pomp 
and  ceremony,  are  all  that  he  delights  in.  But  in  the  former 
case,  he  calls  for  thought,  and  argument,  which  must  be- 
come refined,  or  profound,  as  rapidly  as  he  advances  in  in- 
tellectual growth.  The  nearer  therefore  that  he  approaches 
to  that,  which  his  creator  intended  he  should  become,  the 
greater  is  the  degree  of  mind  which  he  calls  into  communion 
with  himself,  and  the  higher  docs  the  creator  rise  in  his  view. 
So  that  the  philosophy  of  mind,  not  only  supposes  no  ne- 
cessary connexion  between  foreknowledge  and  foreordi- 
nation  ;  but  absolutely  breaks  it  up,  inasmuch  as  it  requires 
more  mind  to  govern  man  as  a  free-agent;  and  inasmuch  as 
free  agency  improves  and  exalts  man  himself. 

But  again  I  remark,  that  God  foreknows  what  has  never 
come  to  pass,  and  what  therefore  could  not  have  been  pre- 
ordained. If  this  assertion  can  be  made  good,  the  ar- 
gument we  are  combating  will  be  completely  overthrown. 
Let  us  try.  When  Jehovah  made  man  at  first,  he  placed  him 
in  a  probationary  state  :  endowed  with  power  to  keep  the  law, 
and  yet  liable  to  fall.  The  constitution,  which  the  law- 
giver established,  had  two  sides;  for  it  might  be  fulfilled, 
and  one  train  of  consequences  would  follow;  or  it  might  be 
broken,  and  another  train  of  consequences  would  follow. 
Certainly  Jehovah  knows  both  sides  of  his  constitution. 
This  cannot  be  denied.  The  denial  of  such  a  plain,  com- 
mon sense,  truth,  would  be  in  a  high  degree  irrational.  If  it 
should  be  denied,  we  have  only  to  add,  that  the  law  was  bro- 
ken, and  the  appropriate  consequences  have  followed,  all  of 
which  was  confessedly  foreknown;  and  now,  the  very  object 
of  the  gospel  is  to  recover  what  has  been  lost,  and  to  bring 
about  the  other  ; — an  operation  which  is  in  actual  progress, 
and  therefore, on  the  same  ground  must  have  been  equally  fore- 
known. Indeed  from  the  first,  Jehovah  declares  himself  to 
know  both  good  and  evil ;  nor  could  he  threaten,  on  the  one 
hand,  or  promise,  on  the  other,  that  of  which  he  knew 
nothing. 

A  similar  state  of  things  is  described  by  the  psalmist,  in 
which  God  actually  declares  what  would  have  occurred,  had 
his  people  obeyed  his  commandments.  "  O  that  my  people," 
said  he,  "had  hearkened  unto  me,  and  Israel  had  walked  in 
my  ways  !  I  should  soon  have  subdued  their  enemies,  and 
turned  my  hands  against  their  adversaries.  The  haters  of 
the  Lord  should  have  submitted  themselves  unto  him :  but 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  269 

their  time  should  have  endured  forever.  He  should  have 
Fed  them  also  with  the  finest  of  the  wheat :  and  with  honey 
out  of  the  rock  should  I  have  satisfied  thee. — But  my  peo- 
ple would  not  hearken  to  my  voice  :  and  Israel  would  none 
of  me.  So  I  gave  them  up  to  their  own  heart's  lust;  and 
they  walked  in  their  own  counsels."*  Here,  what  came 
to  pass,  and  what  did  not  come  to  pass,  are  both  distinctly 
asserted. 

One  more  example. — "  0  Lord  God  of  Israel,"  said  Da- 
vid, "  thy  servant  hath  certainly  heard  that  Saul  seeketh  to 
come  to  Keilah,  to  destroy  the  city  for  my  sake.  Will  the 
men  of  Keilah  deliver  me  up  into  his  hand  ?  Will  Saul  come 
down  as  thy  servant  hath  heard ?"t  The  Lord  replied  to 
him,  that  Saul  would  come  down,  and  that  the  men  of  Kei- 
lah would  deliver  him  into  Saul's  hand.  Now  the  fact  is 
that  Saul  did  not  come  down,  neither  did  the  men  of  Keilah 
deliver  David  into  his  hand  :  for  David  immediately  made 
his  escape.  Here  then  God  positively  foreknew,  and  actu- 
ally declared,  what  did  not  come  to  pass.  The  indispensa- 
ble connexion  between  foreknowledge  and  predestination, 
which  has  been  so  often  asserted,  is  therefore  a  pure  theo- 
logical figment,  destitute  of  all  liberal  thought,  and  as 
cramped  as  it  is  untrue. 

But,  perhaps,  it  may  now  be  objected,  that  my  reasoning 
destroys  predestination  altogether.  This  objection  would 
be  inconsiderate.  For  such  a  being  as  I  have  supposed 
God  to  be,  presiding  over  such  a  race  of  intelligent  creatures 
as  I  have  supposed  men  to  be,  must  have  his  own  views  and 
designs;  and  wrould  certainly  predetermine  to  the  extent 
of  his  own  volitions  and  plans.  No  intelligent  being  can 
act  without  some  defined  purposes  and  intentions.  Neither 
would  God  so  act.  We  may  then  expect  to  find,  as  a  matter 
of  course,  "fixed  points,"  established  rules,  and  unavoidable 
events,  displayed  under  his  administration.  He  will  carry 
on  a  line  of  moral  causes  and  effects,  as  indispensable  and 
certain  as  any  laws  in  physical  nature.  He  will  create  offi- 
cial trust,  as  seemeth  good  to  him,  in  order  to  sustain  his 
own  government.  He  will  bring  about  certain  events, — the 
crucifixion  of  his  Son  for  example, — as  indispensable  to  the 
accomplishment  of  his  own  wise  and  gracious  purposes. 
And  all  these  things  may  be  foreknown  and  foreordained. 
But  none  of  them   infringe,  nor  is  there  any  necessity  that 

*Ps.  lxxxi.  11—16.  fl  Sam.  xxiii.  10—13. 

23* 


270  LECTURES  ON 

they  should  infringe  in  the  least  degree,  on  the  volitions  of 
his  creatures,  beyond  their  own  proper  responsibility. 

From  the  whole,  it'  follows,  that  there  is  nothing  in 
God's  foreknowledge  or  foreordination  to  interfere  with  the 
universality  of  the  gospel.  And  we  are  left  free  to  declare 
that  Christ  died  for  all  men  ;  that  his  gospel  may  be 

PREACHED    TO    ALL    MEN;  AND  THAT    WHOSOEVER    WILL,  MAY 
BELIEVE    AND    BE    SAA'ED. 


LECTURE  XII. 

Faith  and  Vision. — Reason  of  Faith. — Nature  of  Faith. — 
Operations  of  Faith.— Repentance.— Gifts  of  God.— Di- 
vine Power. 

I  have  endeavored  to  explain  the  nature,  and  to  define 
the  extent,  of  the  mediatorial  institute.  The  obligation,  in 
which  that  institute  involves  mankind,,  is  our  next  subject  of 
inquiry.  And  here,  as  in  the  preceding  lectures,  my  remarks 
must  be  considerably  modified  by  the  views  which  theologi- 
ans have  advanced.  For,  if  I  should  affirm  that  the  gospel 
is  addressed  to  the  faith  of  the  human  mind,  and  that  every 
human  being  is  required  to  believe  the  principles  and  facts 
which  are  detailed,  then  the  questions  will  immediately  arise, 
— what  is  faith?  Are  men  able  to  believe?  These  are 
very  important  questions.  They  are  important,  if  for  no 
other  reason,  yet  because  they  have  been  so  variously  argu- 
ed, and  have  agitated  the  public  mind  so  much.  It  would 
therefore  be  in  vain  to  pursue  our  observations,  without 
keeping  these  inquiries  continually  in  view.  To  answer 
them,  shall  be  the  object  of  this  lecture. 

If  Adam  had  obeyed  the  law,  should  there,  in  that  case, 
have  been  any  room  for  the  operations  of  faith?  Perhaps 
you  would  immediately  answer,  no.  But  why  ?  When  God 
said, — "in  the  day  thou  eatest  thereof,  thou  shalt  surely  die," 
were  not  our  first  parents  required  to  believe  him  ?  Then 
certainly  faith  was  demanded,  even  in  paradise.  And  yet 
nothing  is  more  plain,  than  that  the  scriptures  place  faith 
and  deeds  of  law  in  direct  contrast  with  each  other.  By  the 
one,  the  sinner  may  be  justified  i  by  the  other,  justification 
is  impossible. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  271 

Again.  When  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord  shall  have  been 
delivered  from  their  earthly  troubles,  and  introduced  into  their 
heavenly  habitation,  shall  they  any  longer  exercise  faith? 
This  question  also  may  promptly  be  answered  in  the  nega- 
tive. But  why  ?  Shall  all  eternity  be  spread  out  to  the 
view  of  the  ransomed  ?  Shall  nothing  be  future  to  them  ? 
Or  shall  the  promises  of  Jehovah  not  embrace  the  future  ? 
And  shall  not  the  redeemed  believe  those  promises? 

In  short — can  a  community  exist  without  faith?  Is  not 
reciprocity,  or  a  mutual  confidence,  indispensable  to  social 
intercourse?  Elevate  the  characters  of  the  individuals  who 
may  compose  a  society,  and  in  proportion  as  that  is  done, 
faith  becomes  strong.  Alter  the  circumstances  in  which 
these  individuals  move,  lift,  them  beyond  the  reach  of  temp- 
tation, and  multiply  their  facilities  to  become,  or  remain  vir- 
tuous, and  faith  calculates  with  firmer  confidence.  In  fact, 
whenever  we,  and  in  proportion  as  we  do,  get  out  of  the 
range  of  vision,  we  get  into  that  of  faith.  Such  is  the  crea- 
ture distinguished  from  the  creator — "all  things  are  naked 
and  open  to  the  eyes  of  him  with  whom  we  have  to  do." 

But  though  what  I  have  said  be  strictly  correct,  though 
faith  may  be  predicated  of  Adam  in  paradise,  and  of  the  re- 
deemed in  heaven,  yet  it  is  evident,  that  when  we  compare 
the  primeval  condition  of  our  first  parents,  and  the  future 
glory  of  the  righteous,  with  our  present  state,  faith  is  not 
their  distinguishing  characteristic,  while  yet  it  is  ours.  Be- 
cause "deeds  of  law"  were  required  of  Adam,  which  are  put 
into  direct  contrast  with  faith  that  is  required  of  us  ;  and  the 
ransomed  shall  see  God  as  he  is.  On  the  one  hand,  we 
cannot  render  "deeds  of  laws,"  but  to  us  "faith  is  counted 
for  righteousness  ;"  and  on  the  other,  we  do  not  see  God, 
but  live  by  faith,  waiting  patiently  "for  that  we  see  not." — 
Now,  if  faith  may  be  predicated  of  the  three  different  states 
to  which  we  have  referred,  and  yet  'does  not  occupy  the 
same  relations  in  all,  the  true  way  to  understand  our 
own  present  and  immediate  interest  in  it,  is  to  ascertain 
what  is  the  difference  of  those  relations  it  sustains.  In 
other  words,  if  the  distinguishing  characteristic  of  the  pri- 
mordial condition  of  man,  or  that  which  may  specifically  be- 
long to  his  future  state  when  perfected  in  Christ,  shall  be 
laid  alongside  of  faith  as  our  distinctive  peculiarity,  the  com- 
parison will  furnish  us  with  the  best  view  of  faith  itself. 

Adopting  the  mode  of  explanation,  which  has  just  been 
commended,  a  very  little  reflection  will  convince  every  one, 


272  LECTURES  ON 

that  the  point  of  contrast,  which  will  thus  be  brought  into 
view,  is  between  faith  and  vision.  Nor  is  there  any  thing 
unnatural  or  arbitrary  in  the  moral  distinction.  For,  if  a 
man  cannot  see,  what  relief  has  he,  except  in  believing?-— 
Every  being,  in  proportion  to  his  helplessness,  is  reduced  to 
a  dependency  on  his  fellows:  and  to  meet  such  exigencies, 
whether  they  argue  perfection  or  imperiection,  is  the  very 
design  of  society.  Hence,  it  has  been  stated,  that  commu- 
nities cannot  exist  without  faith  :  and  the  facts,  which  have 
displayed  the  existence  of  faith  in  the  original  and  future 
conditions  of  man,  show  that  it  belongs  to  the  constitution 
of  the  human  mind.  Instead,  therefore,  of  the  mediatorial 
requisition,  which  calls  upon  us  to  believe,  being  a  sovereign 
or  arbitrary  mandate,  it  results  from  the  nature  of  the  case  ; 
and  instead  of  faith  itself  being  a  supernatural  or  extrinsic 
property,  it  belongs  to  the  operations  of  mind  itself.  We 
are  then  called  upon  to  believe,  because  we  cannot  see;  and 
in  so  far,  as  we  cannot  see,  whether  we  be  ill  paradise  or 
out  of  it,  in  heaven  or  on  earth,  we  are  reduced  to  the  sim- 
ple necessity  of  believing.  If  the  present  state  of  man, 
involves  or  supposes  any  disabilities  which  were  not  char- 
acteristic of  his  condition  in  paradise,  nor  shall  be  charac- 
teristic of  his  condition  in  heaven,  those  disabilities, 
and  that  too,  as  far  as  they  have  occurred,  are  the  simple 
reason  why  faith  is  now  so  imperiously  required.  We  are  not 
enjoined  to  render  "deeds  of  law,"  merely  because  we  cannot 
render  them  :  neither  is  it  exacted  of  us  to  see,  because  we 
cannot  see.  So  the  command  has  gone  forth,  calling  for  faith, 
because  believing  is  the  only  thing  we  can  do.  It  is  labor- 
ing under  this  disability  that  the  redeemer  finds  fallen  man; 
and  taking  him  just  as  he  finds  him,  the  gospel  is  suited  to 
faith,  as  the  law  had  been  to  vision.  The  sectarian  who 
has  represented  faith  as  supernatural  or  extraneous,  and 
the  sceptic  who  has  declaimed  against  it  as  irrational,  have 
alike  misunderstood  and  misrepresented  this  momentous 
matter. 

Nothing  is  more  common,  than  the  ministerial  announce- 
ment that  faith  is  the  gift  of  God  :  nor  is  there  any  doctrinal 
disquisition  more  frequently  heard  from  the  pulpit,  than  that 
which  arrays  scriptural  texts  in  proof  of  this  proposition.  It 
would  appear  very  ungracious,  roundly  to  deny  so  favorite 
an  assertion  ;  and  yet  if  it  be  true,  as  it  is  generally  under- 
stood, manifestly  no  man  can  believe  until  the  special  gift  is 
bestowed ;  and  they  are  acting  according  to  the  strictest 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  273 

philosophy  of  the  gospel,  who  are  wailing  to  receive  it,  and 
live  without  regard  to  personal  responsibility.  It  will  avail 
nothing  to  reply,  that  as  faith  is  a  gift,  our  personal  respon- 
sibility requires  us  to  ask  for  it;  because  the  prayer  that 
seeks  it,  must  be  itself  an  exercise  of  faith.  Either  then 
there  must  be  some  mistake  in  the  manner  of  representing 
this  subject,  or  personal  responsibility  must  be  abandoned. 

Suppose  that  we  should  allege,  that  vision,  with  which,  as 
we  have  seen,  faith  is  contrasted,  is  the  gift  of  God  :  what 
should  we  thereby  declare  ?  Would  any  one  understand 
this  proposition  as  affirming  that  an  individual,  who  has  the 
organ  of  vision,  cannot  see!  Would  it  not  be  apparent  to 
every  one,  that  the  statement  must  imply  that  God  had  giv- 
en to  man  the  organ  of  vision,  and  spread  before  it  the  ob- 
jects which  it  was  intended  to  perceive  ?  For  an  individual, 
to  whom  God  has  given  this  faculty,  not  to  see,  is  culpably 
to  shut  his  eyes ;  or  to  decline  the  opportunity  of  observation, 
with  which  he  has  been  furnished.  The  guilt  of  not  seeing 
is  his  own,  because  he  can  see  if  he  will.  Now  though  faith 
be  described  as  a  gift  of  God,  yet  is  it  not  to  be  so  consid- 
ered in  like  connexions?  God  has  given  to  man  a  mind,  and 
spread  before  it  objects  which  it  can  perceive.  Then,  not 
to  perceive  those  objects,  is  culpably  to  shut  the  mind's  eye, 
and  to  decline  that  intellectual  observation  for  which  he  has 
been  qualified.  The  guilt  of  not  perceiving,  is  his  own;  be- 
cause he  can  perceive,  if  he  will.  And  accordingly  the  un- 
believer is  condemned  for  this  very  reason.  He  has  eyes, 
but  he  sees  not ;  he  has  ears,  but  he  hears  not ;  he  has  a 
heart,  but  he  understands  not.  If  he  could  neither  see,  nor 
hear,  nor  understand,  there  would  be  some  apology — there 
would  be  no  guilt. 

Let  us  carry  our  hypothesis  a  step  farther.  Suppose  that 
an  individual,  endowed  with  the  organ  of  vision,  should  as- 
sert, that  the  objects,  which  Jehovah  has  spread  out  before 
his  eyes,  have  no  existence  ;  or  that  they  are  not,  what 
they  plainly  are.  He  does  not  believe  what  his  own  eyes 
see?  Let  him  argue  out  his  own  untenable  dogmas.  He 
will  be  learned  and  ingenious  ;  and  when  we  try  to  detect 
his  sophistry,  we  may,  perhaps,  become  so  much  perplexed 
by  his  artful  refinements,  that  we  may  be  almost  convinced 
he  is  right;  while  yet  our  own  sense  demonstrates  that 
he  is  wrong.  Cannot  this  philosopher  see  ?  Can  he  not  be- 
lieve what  he  sees  ?  Are  we  unable  to  believe  what  we  see  ? 
In  like  manner,  God  has  given  mind  to  man,  and  has  spread 
before  it  objects  suitable  to  its  perceptions.     The  power  of 


274  LECTURES  ON 

perception  as  clearly  belongs  to  mind,  as  the  power  of  vision 
belongs  to  the  eye.  Cannot  mind  perceive  ?  We  might 
just  as  well  ask,  cannot  the  eye  see  ?  If  mind  perceives, 
cannot  mind  believe  what  it  perceives?  We  might  as  well 
ask  whether  man  can  believe  what  his  eye  sees?  As 
he  who  cannot  see,  is  blind,  or  has  not  the  organ  of  vision  ; 
so  he  who  cannot  believe,  is  idiotic,  or  is  destitute  of  the  or- 
gan of  intellectual  action. — This  is  the  direct  conclusion,  to 
which,  the  general  argument,  based  on  the  nature  of  things, 
necessarily  leads.  It  as  certainly  belongs  to  mind  to  per- 
ceive, as  it  belongs  to  the  eye  to  see.  And  it  as  clearly  be- 
longs to  man  to  believe  what  his  mind  perceives,  as  it  be- 
longs to  him  to  believe  what  his  eye  sees.  Destroy  the  eye, 
and  vision  is  destroyed:  take  away  mind,  and  the  power  to 
believe  is  gone.  It  is  therefore  utterly  in  vain  to  preach 
about  man's  inability  to  believe,  as  long  as  mind  is  conced- 
ed to  him. 

Perhaps,  we  ought,  in  order  to  save  an  apparent  confu- 
sion of  terms,  to  have  remarked,  in  the  outset  of  our  argu- 
ment, that  as  faith,  to  a  certain  extent,  is  to  be  predicated  of 
Adam,  in  his  state  of  innocence  ;  so  vision,  to  a  certain  ex- 
tent, is  to  be  predicated  of  us,  in  our  present  lapsed  condition. 
We  were  relying  on  the  readers  own  discernment  in  the 
case  ;  on  the  force  attached  to  the  statement,  that  vision 
was  the  distinguishing  attribute  of  Adam's  primeval,  and  that 
faith  is  the  distinguishing  attribute  of  his  subsequent  estate  ; 
as  also  on  the  scriptural  details  which  we  shall  presently  pro- 
ceed to  exhibit.  Mind  belonged  to  Adam  at  first,  and  there- 
fore he  had  the  power  to  believe  ;  we  have  the  organ  of  vi- 
sion, and  therefore  we  see  ;  but  by  the  fall,  such  a  change 
has  occurred,  and  the  relative  proportion  of  our  animal  and 
intellectual  faculties  has  been  so  far  affected,  that  while 
Adam  at  first  was  placed  in  a  condition  characterised  by  vi- 
sion, he  afterwards  was  reduced,  by  "the  weakness  of  the 
flesh,"  to  a  condition  characterised  by  faith.  But  the  scrip- 
tural illustrations  will  make  our  meaning  more  apparent. 

The  apostle  Paul  remarks — "We  walk  by  faith,  not  by 
sight:"  thus  putting  faith  and  vision  into  contrast.  He  fur- 
ther observes, — "whilst  we  are  at  home  in  the  body,  we  are 
absent  from  the  Lord — we  are  willing  rather  to  be  absent 
from  the  body,  and  to  be  present  with  the  Lord."  Vision 
implies  presence  with  the  Lord :  as  faith  supposes  ab- 
sence from  him.  Were  it  our  privilege  to  enjoy  that 
vision,  which  is  put  into  opposition   with  faith,  we  should 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  275 

see  God.  For,  in  any  other  sense,  God  is  ever  present  with 
us :  and  when  we  shall  realise  that  state,  which  he  describes 
as  being  "absent  from  the  body,  and  present  with  the  Lord," 
the  apostle  John  tells  us,  "we  shall  see  God  as  he  is."  Vi- 
sion therefore  implies  a  sight  of  God. 

Paul  again  declares, — "Now  we  see  through  a  glass 
darkly;  but  then  face  to  face:  now  I  know  in  part;  but 
then  shall  I  know,  even  as  also  I  am  known."  We  see 
darkly,  or  obscurely  ;  as  in  an  enigma,  in  which  one  thing 
represents  another;  i.  e.  we  do  not  see  the  great -things 
with  which  we  are  concerned.  They  are  represented  to 
us,  by  way  of  preparing  us  to  see  them,  and  that  repre- 
sentation calls  for  our  faith.  Could  we  see  the  things  them- 
selves, we  should  not  need  the  representation,  and  of  course 
there  would  be  no  room  for  the  exercise  of  faith.  We  mean 
that  vision,  not  faith,  would  be  our  distinguishing  charac- 
teristic. 

The  redeemer  also  asserts,  that  "  no  man  hath  seen  God 
at  any  time;  the  only  begotten  Son,  which  is  in  the  bosom 
of  the  Father,  he  hath  declared  him."  Vision  is  here  put  in 
contrast  with  revelation;  and  revelation,  which  is  the  divine 
testimony,  is  the  great  object  of  faith.  Again  he  remarks, 
in  one  of  his  arguments  with  the  jews, — "  not  that  any  man 
hath  seen  the  Father,  save  he  which  is  of  God,  he  hath  seen 
the  Father." 

The  same  general  truth  was  proclaimed  to  Moses,  when 
he  desired  to  see  the  Lord's  glory: — "Thou  canst  not  see 
my  face;  for  there  shall  no  man  see  me  and  live."  Such  is 
the  fact;  and  it  has  been  thought  to  be  of  sufficient  import- 
ance, to  be  thus  formally,  distinctly,  and  frequently  an- 
nounced. 

In  the  last  instance,  however,  which  has  been  quoted,  we 
have  more  than  the  simple  statement  of  the  fact.  Jehovah 
assigns  the  reason  why  Moses  could  not  see  his  face.  He 
had  gratified  his  servant  as  far  as  was  proper,  and  said — "  I 
will  make  all  my  goodness  pass  before  thee,  and  I  will  pro- 
claim the  name  of  the  Lord  before  thee,  and  will  be  gracious 
to  whom  I  will  be  gracious,  and  will  show  mercy  on  whom 
I  will  show  mercy.  Behold  there  is  a  place  by  me,  and 
thou  shalt  stand  on  the  rock;  and  it  shall  come  to  pass, 
while  my  glory  passeth  by,  that  I  will  put  thee  in  the  cleft 
ofthe  rock,  and  will  cover  thee  with  my  hand,  while  I  pass 
by:  and  I  will  take  away  mine  hand,  and  thou  shalt  see  my 
back  parts;  but  my  face  shall  not  be  seen.     Thou  canst  not 


276  LECTURES  ON 

see  my  face;  for  there  shall  no  man  see  me  and  live."* 
Had  Moses  been  indulged  any  farther,  "had  the  face"  of 
God  been  exposed  to  his  view,  it  would  have  cost  him  his 
life.  But  how,  or  why  ?  Death  is  the  consequence  of 
sin;  and  in  what  way  could  it  be  produced  by  a  sight  of 
God,  which  is  the  highest  privilege  of  an  intelligent,  unsin- 
ning,  or  redeemed  man?  Angels,  said  Jesus,  behold  the 
face  of  my  Father,  which  is  in  heaven.  Manifestly  there 
could  be  no  immorality  about  obtaining  the  view,  and  how 
then  cfOuld  it  produce  death? 

The  history  of  such  transactions,  or  the  effects  of  such 
appearances,  as  are  recorded  by  Moses,  will  sufficiently  ex- 
plain the  whole  matter.  The  people  said  to  him — "Behold 
the  Lord  our  God  hath  showed  us  his  glory  and  his  great- 
ness, and  we  have  heard  his  Voice  out  of  the  midst  of  the 
fire:  we  have  seen  this  day  that  God  doth  talk  with  man, 
and  he  liveth.  Now,  therefore,  why  should  we  die?  For 
this  great  fire  will  consume  us:  if  we  hear  the  Voice  of  the 
Lord  our  God  any  more,  then  we  shall  die.  For  who  is 
there  of  all  flesh  that  hath  heard  the  Voice  of  the  living  God 
speaking  out  of  the  midst  of  the  fire,  as  we  have,  and  UvedV'\ 
Moses  himself  said — "  I  exceedingly  fear  and  quake."  And 
is  there  any  thing  unnatural  in  such  feelings?  Are  not  su- 
pernatural appearances  the  dread  of  all  the  world?  The 
animal  nature  of  man  could  not  have  borne  the  view.  "  The 
weakness  of  the  flesh,"  superinduced  by  Adam's  sin,  for 
by  his  sin  death  has  come  into  the  world — incapacitates  the 
human  being  to  sustain  the  resplendence  of  such  glory : 
and  Moses,  with  all  his  official  honors,  was  subject  to  the 
infirmities,  and  exposed  to  the  death,  which  form  the  lot  of 
his  race.  Take  away  this  incompetency,  thus  brought 
about,  and  the  effect  stated  would  not  have  followed;  for 
the  scriptures  have  given  us  no  explanation  of  death,  but  as 
it  is  the  consequence  of  sin.  Plainly  then  vision  is  not, 
nor  can  it  be  the  distinguishing  principle  or  attribute  of  our 
present  condition;  and  that  simply  because  of  the  disability 
under  which,  in  that  condition,  we  labor. 

It  is  here  where  the  doctrine  of  faith  comes  in;  i.  e.  by 
reason  of  that  same  disability,  faith  is  the  distinguishing  at- 
tribute of  our  present  state.  Will  the  theologian  turn 
round  and  tell  us  that  man  cannot  believe?  What?  Able 
'neither  to  see  nor  believe?  This  is  surely  strange.  Where, 
then,  is  the  remedy?  He  must  not  retreat  into  divine  power; 

*Exod.  xxxiii.  18—23.  fDeut.  v.  24—26. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  277 

for  God  can  qualify  us  to  see,  as  well  as  he  can  to  believe. 
Neither  must  he  talk  about  consistency;  for  then  he  yields 
the  whole  argument,  seeing  that  the  only  thing,  with  which 
God  is  called  upon  to  legislate  consistently,  is  human  in- 
firmity. If,  after  all,  faith  is  above  his  ability,  he  is  no 
better  off  with,  than  he  was  without,  the  remedy.  It  fol- 
lows irrefutably  that  man  can  believe  the  gospel  which  is 
addressed  to  him. 

The  term  faith  is  generally  used  in  a  technical  sense; 
which  sense  it  is  not  easy  to  apprehend  or  explain.  There 
are  definitions  in  abundance,  and  there  has  been  contro- 
versy without  end.  Treatise  after  treatise,  exegesis  after 
exegesis,  homily  after  homily,  and  sermon  after  sermon, — 
all  have  been  furnished  to  explain  and  elucidate  this  inte- 
resting particular;  and  yet,  after  all,  faith  is,  in  the  minds  of 
most  people,  a  mysterious  something,  which  they  have  not 
precisely  understood.  And  they  are  not  a  few,  who,  des- 
pairing of  getting  any  clear  views  about  it,  have  abandoned 
their  research,  and  exclaimed  in  pettish  disappointment, 

For  modes  of  faith  let  angry  bigots  fight, 
His  can't  be  wrong,  whose  life  is  in  the  right. 

This  difficulty  occurs  in  the  evangelical  use  of  the  term, 
while,  in  the  common  affairs  of  life,  every  body  uses  it,  and 
with  a  clear,  well  defined  idea.  We  read  a  history,  or  hear 
an  oral  relation,  and  talk  about  our  belief,  or  our  faith,  in 
what  we  have  read  and  heard;  and  every  one  understands 
us  to  assert  our  intellectual  conviction  of  the  truth  of  what 
we  have  read  or  heard.  An  interchange  of  information 
every  day  creates  universal  excitement  of  feeling,  and  calls 
every  body  into  action:  and  all  this  is  nothing  but  the  in- 
fluence of  faith,  or  a  reciprocal  confidence,  wilhout  which 
society  must  be  dissolved.  Nor  is  there  any  wretched  fa- 
tuity betrayed  in  this  social  excitement.  It  gives  birth  to 
the  most  vigorous  thought,  and  to  most  extensive  inquiry. 
The  character  of  witnesses,  the  probability  of  testimony, 
and  the  consequences  of  events,  are  carefully  scrutinized 
and  canvassed.  The  fewer  the  legal  restraints  that  are  im- 
posed, the  more  intelligent  the  community  becomes;  so 
that  faith  is  always  the  associate  of  light  and  liberty,  of  ho- 
nor and  benevolence.  Introduce  legal  enactments  beyond 
the  simple  necessities  of  the  social  compact,  and  in  inter- 
fering with  the  operations  of  social  confidence,  they  become 
substitutes  for  the  workings  of  mind,  and  the  harbingers  of 
24 


278  LECTURES  ON 

conflict  and  strife.  So  that  this  very  principle,  called  faith, 
or  belief,  while  it  is  so  well  understood  in  the  commonest 
affairs  of  life,  rises  with  the  elevation  of  individual  intellect, 
and  expands  with  the  extension  of  our  social  relations ; 
until  it  pervades  the  highest  concerns,  in  which  men  can 
have  any  community  of  interest.  In  short,  how  can  any 
man  avoid  believing  that  which  he  knows  to  be  true?  Or 
how  can  he  believe  that  which  he  knows  is  not  true  ? 

But  when  we  become  religionists,  and  undertake  to  dis- 
cuss Christianity;  where  faith,  from  the  condition  of  man, 
from  the  constitution  of  the  human  mind,  and  from  the  na- 
ture of  social  principles,  is  as  necessary  as  it  is  in  common 
life,  we  possess  not  this  clearness  of  view;  because  we  have 
lost  its  simplicity.  They  who  can  believe  the  historian,  or 
he  oral  narrator,  of  any  train  of  circumstances,  and  easily 
give  the  rationale  of  this  mental  operation,  seem  to  be  at  a 
loss  to  explain  what  it  is  to  believe  a  historian,  or  an  oral 
narrator,when  relating  sacred  things.  They  who  are  every  day 
scrutinizing  the  character  of  witnesses,  canvassing  the  pro- 
bability of  testimony,  or  predicting  the  consequences  of 
events,  with  a  view  to  making  up  their  judgment,  or  form- 
ing an  opinion,  or  exercising  faith,  are  at  a  loss  to  explain 
the  same  intellectual  operation  in  spiritual  things.  They 
can  be  believers,  habitually  and  unreservedly,  as  friends,  as 
merchants,  as  politicians,  as  philosophers ;  in  all  these  con- 
nexions they  can  display  the  greatest  mental  force ;  the 
highest  excitement  of  feeling  ;  the  wisest,  the  boldest,  the 
most  persevering,  the  most  efficient  action  ;  and  yet  they 
fail  to  carry  the  principle  of  these  affinities  into  religion. 
They  can  believe  their  fellow  man  in  any  relation  of  life,  but 
cannot  believe  him  as  a  christian.  They  can  believe  God, 
as  he  moves  in  his  daily  providential  transactions;  they  can 
read  his  volume  of  nature,  as  they  call  it,  with  accuracy  and 
care;  but  when  they  hear  him  speaking  as  the  God  of  grace, 
they  know  not  how,  nor  what  it  is,  to  believe  him  ;  neither 
can  they  imagine  that  his  bible  is  a  plain,  intelligible,  book. 

Now  the  reason  of  all  this  embarrassment,  on  a  subject, 
which,  in  any  other  form,  is  familiar,  is  very  evident.  When- 
ever men  turn  to  the  science  of  morals,  as  it  is  displayed  in 
our  inspired  manual,  they  assume,  as  an  incontrovertible  po- 
sition,'that  the  subject  of  inquiry  is  altogether  a  mysterious 
matter.  They  have  been  often  told  so.  So  the  books  and 
the  pulpit  have  declared.  And  who  would  not  tread  lightly 
and  cautiously  on  mysterious  ground?     They  do  not  seem 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  279 

to  be  aware,  that  the  gospel  has  any  coincidence  with  that 
which  is  natural;  but  are  rather  inclined  to  suppose  that  it 
is  contrary  to,  and  above,  nature.  Of  course,  the  opera- 
tions of  mind  are  not  the  same  in  religion  that  they  are  in 
any  thing  else;  and  faith  in  Christianity  is  wholly  different 
from  what  it  is  in  our  common  transactions.  Thus  robbed 
of  the  analogies  by  which  divine  truth  is  to  be  illustrated, 
and  led  to  abandon  the  visible  symbols,  which  so  variously 
and  beautifully  represent  it,  men  sink  into  despondency  and 
unbelief.  Could  they  give  up  their  false  assumptions;  could 
they  unlearn  the  dogmas,  which  have  "grown  with  their 
growth  and  strengthened  with  their  strength;"  could  they 
carry  along  the  unbroken  chain  of  human  interests,  through 
all  the  varying  circumstances  of  life  ;  and  could  they  perceive 
the  intellectual  identity  of  the  believer,  as  he  examines  and 
apprehends  both  physical  and  moral  things,  their  difficulty 
would  vanish.  They  would  find  it  as  easy  to  understand 
faith  in  Christianity,  as  they  do  in  any  secondary  form  in 
which  it  occurs.  They  would  carry  their  illustrations  from 
the  fireside  to  the  sanctuary,  from  the  volume  of  nature  to 
the  volume  of  inspiration,  and  understand  the  doctrine  of 
our  moral  dependencies  with  as  much  facility,  as  they  do 
that  of  our  domestic  or  political  relations.  Nay  more,  they 
would  find,  that  throughout  their  whole  course,  in  those 
very  things  which  they  have  termed  domestic,  natural,  po- 
litical, philosophical,  they  have  been  sustaining  the  very 
moral  operation,  which  they  imagine  to  be  so  very  myste- 
rious and  incomprehensible  in  religion. 

Unfortunately,  however,  the  common  theological  discus- 
sions, to  which  they  may  have  the  opportunity  of  attending, 
will  afford  them  no  aid  in  their  retrograde  movement  after 
truth.  From  these  discussions  they  derived  all  their  erro- 
neous views  ;  and  to  remain  under  the  scholastic  dominion, 
is  only  to  perpetuate  their  own  perplexing  mistakes.  They 
will  still  be  entertained  with  the  injudicious  distinctions, 
that  have  involved  the  whole  doctrine  of  feTith  in  all  its  ob- 
scurity; and  have  forms  of  faith  described  to  them,  which 
are,  at  the  same  time,  declared  to  them  not  to  be  faith. 
There  is  an  historical  faith — there  is  a  speculative  faith — 
there  is  a  faith  of  miracles — there  is  an  appropriating  faith 
— there  is  a  reflex  faith — there  is  a  saving  faith.  The  mind 
is  bewildered  by  "  distinctions  without  a  difference,"  and 
the  man  expires  amid  the  obscurities  of  learned  and  inge- 
nious explanations.     I  wish  that  all  this  were  pure  fabrica- 


280  LECTURES  ON 

tion.  Cheerfully  would  it  be  retracted,  and  the  inquirer  he 
referred  to  better  instructions,  wherever  they  may  be  found. 

I  have  been  exhibiting  faith  in  contrast  with  vision  :  or, 
to  use  Paul's  language,  as  "the  evidence  of  things  not  seen." 
There  are  "invisible  things  of  God,"  which  he  has  "mani- 
fested, in  such  a  manner  as  to  be  "understood  by  the  things 
that  are  made."  And  can  any  one  object  to  such  a*  display 
on  the  part  of  God,  made  with  a  view  to  the  instruction  of 
his  intelligent  creatures,  who  have  no  better  means  of  ac- 
quiring knowledge  ?  Is  there  any  thing  in  the  philosophy 
of  mind,  which  would  evince  such  a  display  to  be  irrational  ? 
Man,  as  he  is,  sees  a  great  deal  of  the  wonderful  works  of 
God;  is  this  irrational?  Should  he  see  more,  would  that  be 
irrational?  And  if  he  shall  be  incapable  of  seeing  more,  yet 
is  not  incapable  of  learning  more  by  some  other  method,  is 
that  other  method  irrational  ?  If  by  that  other  method,  some 
truth,  or  a  series  of  truths,  which  he  had  not  seen,  and  could 
not  see,  should  be  brought  home  to  his  mind  in  clear  and 
satisfactory  demonstration,  would  that  mode  be  subversive 
of  mental  philosophy  ?  Truth  is  not  absurd,  come  in  whatever 
form  it  may  be  made  known.  And  if  a  manner  of  commu- 
nication is  used,  without  winch  truth  cannot  be  made  known, 
that  manner  of  communication  cannot  be  absurd.  Yet  this 
is  the  attitude,  in  which  the  sceptic  stands  who  laughs  at 
the  doctrine  of  faith.  For  faith  is  the  evidence,  the  subsis- 
tence in  the  mind,  the  demonstration  to  the  mind,  of  things 
which  are  not  seen.  It  is  an  operation,  by  which  the  mind, 
through  the  intervention  of  things  that  are  made,  gets  at  the 
knowledge  of  things  that  are  invisible;  in  which  it  argues 
from  the  type  to  the  antitype,  from  the  symbol  to  the  object 
symbolized.  Plainly  then  between  faith  and  ignorance, 
there  is  no  intermediate  state.  For  what  should  the  mind 
do  with  a  truth,  made  evident  by  vision,  but  believe  it? 
And  what  can  that  same  mind  do  with  any  other  truth,  de- 
monstrated in  any  other  way,  but  believe  it  ?  I  see  no  alter- 
native. 

Such  is  faith  in  Christianity.  God  has  made  known  to 
man  certain  things,  which  he  cannot  see.  But  then  they  are 
demonstrated  to  him  to  be  true;  and  when  he  is  convinced 
by  this  demonstration  that  they  are  true,  what  else  can  he  do 
with  them  than  believe  them  ?  An  individual  sees  his  father 
die — what  else-can  he  do  than  believe  that  his  father  is  dead? 
Would  it  not  be  folly  for  him  to  doubt? — But  he  was  not  an 
eye-witness  to  the  domestic  catastrophe :  he  has  simply  re- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  281 

ceived  information  of  the  afflictive  fact — yet  it  is  information 
whose  verity  is  fairly  proved  ;  what  else  can  he  do  than  be- 
lieve what  he  has  heard  ?  Just  so  with  regard  to  scriptural 
truth.  It  stands  demonstrated  :  and  must  not  the  mind,  to 
which  the  proof  has  come  home  in  undeniable  form,  believe 
scriptural  truth  ? — Where  then  is  the  difficulty  of,  or  the  ob- 
jection against,  the  doctrine  of  faith? 

It  may  be  replied,  that  the  truth  of  what  the  scriptures 
have  stated,  is  doubtful.  Be  it  so  ;  but  that  involves  ar  to- 
tally distinct  question.  Faith,  as  belonging  to  the  philoso- 
phy of  mind,  is  one  thing;  and  the  character  of  any  particu- 
lar matter  offered  to  consideration,  is  another  thing.  A  man 
may  disbelieve  what  he  knows  is  not  true ;  or  he  may  doubt 
what  he  does  not  know  to  be  true  ;  and  yet  reason  will  bind 
him  down  to  believe  what  he  knows  to  be  true.  If  any  one 
doubts  the  truth  of  the  scriptural  statements,  it  does  not  fol- 
low that  he  may  begin  to  declaim  against  fait h  as  irrational : 
but  leaving  faith  to  possess  its  own  philosophic  attributes, 
his  business  is  to  ascertain  the  truth  or  falsehood  of  these 
scriptural  statements.  He  must  scrutinize  the  charac- 
ter of  the  witnesses;  he  must  canvass  the  probability  of 
their  testimony ;  he  must  follow  out  effects  to  their  causes, 
and  causes  to  their  effects  ;  he  must  pursue  the  argument  in 
every  direction,  and  in  every  form,  to  which  his  intellect 
may  make  him  competent.  He  must  take  up  the  subject, 
just  as  he  would  any  other  matter,  of  the  truth  of  which  he 
desires  to  be  informed.  And  whether  he  believes  or  disbe- 
lieves when  he  has  done,  the  philosophy  of  faith,  as  a  men- 
tal operation,  remains  undisturbed  ;  or  it  is  .alike  demonstra- 
ted by  his  belief  or  unbelief.  In  the  one  case,  he  exercises 
faith  in  the  thing  which  he  has  found  out  to  be  true  ;  and  in 
the  other,  he  withholds  his  faith  from  that  which  he  has 
found  out  to  be  untrue. 

Now  suppose  an  individual  to  have  instituted,  and  effi- 
ciently to  have  carried  on,  such  an  investigation  into  the 
truth  of  the  scriptural  statements.  After  he  shall  have  ac- 
complished his  task,  he  proclaims  himself  to  be  convinced 
of  their  truth.  Is  he  not  a  believer ?  Has  he  not  faith?  What 
else  is  left  for  a  man,  under  such  circumstances,  to  do,  but 
to  believe?  Can  faith  be  predicated  of  a  man  who  has  no 
conviction?  Is  it  not  the  province  of  revelation  to  make 
things  clear?  Does  not  the  Spirit  of  God  convince  the  world 
of  sin,  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment? — Take  the  other 
side,  and  suppose,  that,  instead  of  all  this  investigation,  by 
24* 


282  LECTURES  ON 

which  he  has  been  convinced,  he  had  enjoyed  unclouded 
vision — what  would  have  been  the  effect  in  that  case  ? — 
Would  it  not  be  conviction?  And  when  this  favored  indi- 
vidual should  be  convinced  by  what  he  saw,  would  he  not 
be  a  believer?  Certainly  this  idea  of  faith  must  be  palpable 
to  -every  one,  as  being  the  very  thing  which  the  scriptures 
require  of  all  their  readers.  What  other  idea  of  faith  can 
there  be,  in  the  very  nature  of  things?  Or  what  other  con- 
nexion can  their  be  between  Christianity,  as  an  intellectual 
system,  and  man  as  an  intellectual  being? 

It  may,  perhaps,  be  objected  to  the  foregoing  observations, 
that  a  man,  who  has  gone  as  far  as  has  been  described,  is  a 
mere  speculative  believer ;  and  will,  in  all  probability,  stop 
short  with  the  conviction  he  has  reached.  His  heart,  it  will 
be  said,  is  not  touched  ;  and  there  are  hundreds  like  himr 
who  have  never  gone  one  step  farther  in  the  way  to  eternal 
life.  We  do  not  know  exactly  what  theologians  mean  by 
the  heart.  If  they  mean  by  it,  that  it  is  a  part  of  man's  in- 
tellectual nature,  we  cannot  conceive  how  it  is  to  be  touch- 
ed, but  by  such  a  train  of  convictions,  as  this  objection 
seems  to  consider  so  trivial  or  equivocal.  The  probability, 
in  our  view,  is  that  the  heart  would  be  reached  by  the  pro- 
cess which  has  been  suggested;  and  that  the  individual  who 
has  advanced  to  the  specified  point,  would  be  strongly  im- 
pelled to  go  farther.  Will  the  objection  imply,  that  when, 
for  example,  Paul  says — "with  the  heart  man  believeth  unto 
righteousness,"  he  means  to  say,  that  the  head,  the  under- 
standing, the  judgment,  has  nothing  to  do  with  faith  ?  Or 
does  he  not,  orr  the  contrary,  mean  by  the  heart,  the  whole 
intellectual  man?  There  is  much  loose  talking  in  religion, 
about  the  head  and  the  heart;  as  though  they  belonged  to 
different  systems ;  and,  in  character  and  location,  correspond- 
ed with  the  anatomical  fixture  of  the  literal  head  and  heart 
in  the  human  body.  Hence  some  teachers  of  Christianity, 
undertake  svstematically  to  address  the  head  ;  and  others 
employ  all  their  force  in  assaulting  the  heart.  Which  of 
them  deals  with  man  as  an  intellectual  being? 

As  to  the  other  part  of  the  objection,  in  which  hundreds 
are  so  summarily  included,  as  being  thoroughly  convinced, 
while  their  speculations  lead  to  no  practical  result,  I  should 
doubt  the  facts.  The  process  through  which  we  have  sup- 
posed our  case  to  run,  would  certainly  bespeak  better  things. 
But  men  differ  in  their  views  of  human  society;  and  often 
trace  what  they  see  to  very  different  causes.    In  the  present 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  283' 

instance,  lest  we  might  be  supposed  to  be  too  much  prepos- 
sessed in  favor  of  our  own  theory,  we  shall  take  cover  under 
authority.  Halyburton,  whose  "rational  inquiry  into  the 
principles  of  the  modern  deists,"  it  has  been  said,  remains 
unanswered,  makes  the  following  remarks. — "It  is  much'to 
be  regretted,  that  the  bulk  of  mankind  found  their  princi- 
ples, as  well  as  practice  and  hopes,  on  no  better  bottom  than 
education ;  which  gives  but  too  just  occasion  for  the  smart 
reflection  of  the  witty,  though  profane  poet, 

By  education  most  have  been  misled, 
So  they  believe,  because  they  were  so  bred. 
The  priest  continues  what  the  nurse  began, 
And  thus  the  child  imposes  on  the  man. 

Most  part  seek  no  better  reason  for  their  belief  and  prac- 
tice, than  custom  and  education.  Whatever  those  offer  in 
principle,  they  greedily  swallow  down,  and  venture  all  on 
so  weak  a  bottom.  And  this  surely  is  one  of  the  great  rea- 
sons, why  so  many  miscarry  in  this  important  matter. — The 
more  considerate,  and  better  part  of  mankind,  in  matters  of 
so  high  importance,  will,  with  the  nicest  care,  try  all,  that 
they  may  hold  fast  what  is  good.  If  a  man  understands  the 
importance  of  the  case,  he  will  find  reason  to  look  somewhat 
deeper,  and  think  more  seriously  of  this  matter,  than  either 
the  unthinking  generality,  who  receive  all  in  bulk,  without 
trial,  as  it  is  given  to  them  ;  or,  the  forward  would-be-wits, 
that  ofttimes  are  guilty  of  as  great,  and  much  more  perni- 
cious credulity  in  rejecting  all,  as  the  other  in  receiving  all." 

The  master  seems  to  pass  the  same  judgment,  and  to  view 
the  individual  whose  case  we  have  specified,  as  having  at- 
tained to  a  high  condition  of  intellectual  privilege: — "That 
servant,"  he  remarks,  "which  knew  his  lord's  will,  and  pre- 
pared not  himself,  neither  did  according  to  his  will,  shall  be 
beaten  with  many  stripes.  But  he  that  knew  not,  and  did 
commit  things  worthy  of  stripes,  shall  be  beaten  with  few- 
stripes.  For  unto  whomsoever  much  is  given,  of  him  shall 
be  much  required  :  and  to  whom  men  have  committed  much, 
of  him  they  will  ask  the  more."*  And  indeed  the  man,  the 
prospects  of  whose  course  are  under  consideration,  if  he 
shall  reject  the  gospel,  will  generally  distinguish  himself  in 
abusing  what  he  has  acquired.  He  will  reach  greater  lengths 
in  depravity,  and  rush  to  a  more  fearful  extreme,  than  the 
generality  of  those  around  him ;  because  he  has  had  more 

•Lukexii.  47,  43. 


284  .  LECTURES  ON 

to  overcome,  and  therefore  feels  a  stronger  stimulus  urging 
him   onward  in   his  iniquitous  career. 

But  why  should  not  a  well  formed  conviction  of  truth  lead 
to  the  happiest  results?  Let  us  call  back  to  our  aid,  that 
which  has  been  contrasted  with  faith.  What  effect  would 
clear  and  unclouded  vision  produce  ?  Would  it  end  in  mere 
speculation  too?  Or  would  not  the  inducements  to  effort 
be  proportionablv  stronger?  Taking  the  figure  under  an- 
other aspect — is  light  no  stimulant?  The  day  dawns,  and 
all  the  world  is  roused  to  action.  And  will  not  intellectual 
light  produce  a  correspondent  effect?  Is  truth  an  inert 
matter,  or  has  it  not,  by  its  own  nature,  an  influence  on 
mind?  '-The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you,"  said  Jesus, 
"they  are  spirit  and  they  are  life."  Instead  then  of  convic- 
tion, produced  by  fair  investigation,  being  likely  to  end  in 
mere  speculation,  its  natural  tendency  is  to  impel  the  man 
who  bus  acquired  it,  to  still  further  exertion.  The  very  na- 
ture of faith,  therefore,  as  we  have  presented  it,  is,  to  lead 
to  action  ;  and  that  to  the  whole  extent  of  the  subject  with 
which  it  is  concerned.  "As  a  man  thinketh  in  his  heart," 
says  Solomon,  "so  is  he." — "A  good  man,"  says  the  re- 
deemer, "out  of  the  good  treasure  of  the  heart,  bringeth  forth 
good  things:  and  an  evil  man,  out  of  the  evil  treasure, 
bringeth  forth  evil  things." 

I  have  already  intimated  that  there  is  a  very  striking  co- 
incidence between  this  mental  operation,  and  the  nature  of 
truth  itself.  It  as  much  belongs  to  truth  to  excite  the  mind 
to  action,  as  it  belongs  to  the  mind  to  act,  when  excited. 
The  effect  of  truth  on  the  mind,  is  like  that  of  light  on  the 
eye  ;  and  the  mind  under  the  influence  of  truth,  is  like  the 
eye  under  the  stimulus  of  light.  Truth  excites,  and  the 
mind  is  excited.  They  bear,  therefore,  a  reciprocal  relation, 
which  is  both  evident  and  natural;  and  which  is  sustained 
in  all  the  circumstances,  where  they  can  possibly  meet. 
There  are  a  thousand  cases,  it  is  true,  in  which  men  are 
commonly  said  to  act  by  intuition  ;  whence  has  arisen  no 
small  controversy,  intended  to  settle  the  philosophy  of  in- 
tuitive truth.  Still,  truth  and  mind  bear  to  each  other,  in 
these  cases,  their  natural  relation.  An  analysis  will  easily 
discover  a  regular  and  accurate  process  of  argument,  through 
which  mind  *has  passed,  rapidly  arriving  at  a  conclusion 
which  has  been  fairly  deduced  from  premises  distinctly  per- 
ceived. Or,  if  any  should  deny  the  actual  process  of 
thought,  in  the  cases  alluded  to,  on  account  of  the  rapidity 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  285 

of  the  supposed  operation, — which,  perhaps,  many  might 
do,  notwithstanding  the  proverbial  quickness  of  thought,— 
yet,  evidently,  the  whole  process  can  be  readily  made  out 
by  an  after  review  ;  however  instantaneously  it  may  seem  to 
have  occurred.  "  It  may  be  difficult,"  says  a  popular  medi- 
cal writer,  "for  a  person  not  accustomed  to  reflect  on  such 
subjects,  to  believe  that  every  time  his  leg  is  moved  in 
walking,  he  performs  a  distinct  act  of  volition;  but  he  will 
be  convinced  of  this,  if  he  observes  the  motions  of  those 
whose  power  of  volition  is  impaired  by  disease.  He  will 
find  the  patient  hesitate  which  leg  to  move  at  every  step; 
and  at  length  his  attempts  to  move  the  limbs,  produce  a 
confused  and  irregular  action,  incapable  of  carrying  him 
forward.  The  act  of  expanding  the  chest,  is  an  act  of  vo- 
lition; it  is  an  act,  in  ordinary  breathing,  rendered  extremely 
easy  by  the  gentleness  of  the  motion  required,  and  the  con- 
tinual habit  which  renders  it  familiar,  and  is  excited  by  a 
sensation  proportionably  slight;  but  which  is  as  essential  to 
it,  as  stronger  sensations  are  to  more  powerful  acts  of  vo- 
lition. Thus  it  is,  that  on  the  removal  of  the  sensorial 
power,  respiration  ceases."* 

The  direct  tendency  of  truth,  operating  on  mind,  is, 
to  lead  to  any  train  of  actions  which  it  may  prescribe;  and 
the  direct  course  on  which  mind  enters,  after  perceiving 
truth,  is  obedience  to  injunctions  so  communicated.  The 
attribute  of  mind,  so  called  out  and  displayed,  is  precisely 
the  principle  of  intellectual  vitality,  on  which  rests  the 
whole  value  of  divine  revelation.  By  revelation,  Jehovah 
communicates  truth  to  men;  truth  appropriate  to  their  nature 
and  circumstances;  and  in  a  form  suitable  to,  or  within  the 
range  of,  their  apprehensions.  This  tiuth,  thus  afforded,  it 
belongs  to  them  to  perceive  ;  and  having  perceived  it,  it  is  the 
character  of  the  thing, — a  character  derived  from  the  nature 
both  of  truth  and  mind — that  they  should  comply  with  its 
dictates.  All  the  adjuvants  which  are  employed,  direct 
their  influence  to  the  same  point ;  and  they  are  the  mere 
agents  of  the  Spirit,  in  his  great  work  of  convincing  the 
world  of  sin,  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment.  Nor  is 
there  any  thing  arbitrary,  or  incomprehensible,  in  the  man- 
ner of  executing  their  task;  but  they  address  to  the  human 
mind  a  varied  and  satisfactory  argument; — an  argument, 
made  up,  as  processes  of  ratiocination  are  in  all  other  cases, 

*  W.  Philips'  Treatise  on  the  nature  and  cure  of  Diseases,  &c. 
Amer.  ed.  page  54,  55, 


286  LECTURES  ON 

and  equally  as  clear  and  conclusive.  He  who  is  con- 
vinced of  truth,  which  has  been  thus  substantiated  and  de- 
monstrated to  his  own  mind,  is  a  believer;  and,  as  a  matter 
of  course,  must  act  accordingly.  This  is  philosophy.  This 
is  scripture.  Just  such  a  moral  operation  is  called  for  by 
the  condition  of  man,  and  it  is  as  consistent  with  the  grace 
of  God,  as  it  is  with  the  liberty  of  the  human  mind. 

The  effects  of  faith  will  always  correspond  with  the  na- 
ture of  the  thing  believed.  If  a  credible  witness  shall  re- 
cite to  us  a  tale  of  crime  and  infamy,  we  are  immediately 
struck  with  horror.  If  he  shall,  on  the  contrary,  communi- 
cate some  pleasing  intelligence,  we  instantly  become  sen- 
sible of  pleasurable  emotions.  Such  is  the  fact  in  Christianity. 
— God  reveals  himself  to  us  as  love.  He  declares  that  he 
has  loved  us  so  tenderly,  as  to  give  his  only  begotten  Son 
to  die  for  us.  He  assures  us  that  he  has  no  pleasure  in  the 
death  of  the  sinner;  that  he  is  long-suffering  and  kind, — 
always  waiting  to  be  gracious;  that  he  will  forgive  iniquity, 
transgression  and  sin  ;  and  that  whosoever  cometh  unto 
him,  he  will  in  no  wise  cast  out.  It  is  the  direct  nature 
and  tendency  of  these  things,  to  excite  in  the  human  mind 
the  most  delightful  feelings  ;  and  under  the  obligation  which 
they  create,  to  call  forth  its  gratitude  and  love.  Ought  we 
not,  is  it  not  natural  that  we  should,  love  the  thing  which  is 
good!  That  which  is  beautiful  and  excellent,  is  the  legiti- 
mate object  of  esteem  and  admiration;  and  we  can  not 
withhold  our  praise,  without  violating  nature,  or  betraying 
some  obliquity,  that  falls  not  within  the  ordinary  operations 
of  mind.  It  is  for  this  very  purpose  that  God  has  revealed 
his  love  in  Christ;  given  to  its  display  so  much  interest; 
adorned  its  circumstances  with  so  much  glory;  and  identi- 
fied its  overtures  with  every  thing,  which  man  can  consider 
valuable,  or  worthy  of  effort.  And  what  can  be  more  beauti- 
ful and  lovely, — what  more  likely  to  captivate  and  charm, 
or  what  more  capable  to  dignify  and  bless,  than  the  gospel? 
Earth  suffers,  angels  mourn,  and  Jehovah  grieves,  when  man 
acts  so  unnatural  and  irrational  a  part,  as  to  repulse  from 
his  bosom  such  an  enchanting  scheme  of  love. 

Again.  If  a  credible  witness  should  apprise  us  of  some 
imminent  danger  overhanging,  which  jeopards  life,  estate, 
and  whatever  we  hold  dear,  we  should  be  instantly  and 
greatly  alarmed;  and  would  make  every  effort  in  our  power 
to  avoid  or  escape  the  threatened  calamity.  Or,  on  the 
other  hand,  if  he  should  disclose   something  which  would 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  287 

be  greatly  to  our  advantage,  and  which  we  might  certainly 
secure  by  well  timed   and  diligent  effort,  we  should  be  im- 
mediately roused  to  action.     This  illustration  all   men  are 
prepared  to  appreciate;  for  it  is  their  daily  employment  to 
avoid  the  ills,   and  to  secure  the   joys  of  life.     And  should 
they  make  like  effort,  and  on  the  same  principle  of  acting, 
in  relation  to  religion,  they  would  meet  their  moral  obliga- 
tions, and  carry  out,  to  its  whole  extent,  the  scriptural  doc- 
trine of  faith.     A  dire   calamity  overhangs   our  race,  filling 
time  and  eternity  with  its  fearful  consequences.     Of  this  the 
scriptures  have  distinctly  and  fully  informed  us,  adding,  in 
their  details,   the   divine    testimony  to   human   experience. 
They  have  pointed  out  a  way  of  escape;    have  proclaimed 
a  saviour;   and  promised   everlasting  life.     They  bring  the 
divine    agency  into  co-operation   with  human    effort,   and 
identify   human    happiness    with     practical     righteousness. 
They  disclaim  any  interference  with  intellectual  liberty,  and 
call  for  personal  conviction,  designing  thereby  to  excite  to 
individual  purpose  and  effort.     Every  thing  which  they  re- 
veal or  proclaim,  is  the  testimony  of  Jehovah,  as  a  credible 
witness  ;   and  our  faith  in,  or  our  belief  of,  what  he  has  said, 
should  naturally  lead  us  to  avoid  the  evils,  and  secure  the 
benefits,  of  which  he  has  spoken.     And  thus  would  follow, 
in  all  their   consistency,  and  variety,  and  beauty,  and  rich- 
ness, those   multiform  virtues  and  good  works,  whose  pre- 
cise place   in  the   christian   economy,  its    expositors  have 
found   no    little   difficulty  to   ascertain.     They  arise  as  all 
other  human  actions  arise;   and  by  a  simple  operation,  with 
which  every  child  of  Adam  is  perfectly  familiar,  and  which 
he  is  exemplifying  in  every  thing,  and  every  day,  throughout 
his  entire  life. 

I  protest,  I  cannot  see  any  thing  of  this  deep  mystery 
about  faith,  which  seems  to  perplex  so  many;  which  calls 
for  so  many  distinctions,  when  a  formal  statement  of  its 
nature  and  attributes  is  attempted.  I  discern  nothing  in  it 
but  a  plain,  easy,  natural  operation  of  mind ;  in  which  a 
man  believes,  on  the  testimony  of  others,  what  he  has  not 
seen.  Nor  can  I  perceive  any  reason  why  it  should  occupy 
so  conspicuous  a  place  in  christian  morals,  other  than,  that, 
as  through  the  sin  of  Adam,  we  are  rendered  incapable  of 
vision,  there  is  nothing  else  left,  save  to  believe  what  others 
tell  us. 

It  will  still  be  urged  that,  after  all,  men  who  have  been, 
and  who  are,  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the  scriptures,  and 


LECTURES   ON 

of  the  philosophy  and  propriety  of  their  doctrines,  do  live 
in  sin.  Be  it  so.  What  then  ?  Will  it  follow  that  the  pre- 
vious elucidations  of  faith  are  therefore  imperfect?  Will  it 
thereby  appear  that  faith  has  not  the  tendencies  which  have 
been  ascribed  to  it  ?  I  judge  not.  For  is  it  not  unnatural 
and  irrational,  that  men  should  act  contrary  to  their  own 
convictions  ?  Is  such  deportment  honorable,  or  consistent  ? 
Can  any  thing  be  said  to  justify  it?  And  is  not  this  the 
very  reason  of  their  condemnation  at  the  bar  of  God?  Are 
they  not  "beaten  with  many  stripes,"  because  that  when  they 
knew  their  master's  will,  they  would  not  fulfill  it  ?  "Because," 
saith  the  high  and  holy  One,  "1  have  called,  and  ye  refused; 
I  have  stretched  out  my  hand,  and  no  man  regarded  ; 
but  ye  have  set  at  nought  all  my  counsel,  and  would  none 
of  my  reproof ;  I  also  will  laugh  at  your  calamity;  I  will 
mock  when  your  fear  cometh."  To  rebel  against  their  own 
convictions,  is  then  highly  criminal  on  the  part  of  mankind. 
But  if  resistance  against  these  convictions  is  implied  in 
their  course  of  sin,  our  argument  is  sustained  even  by  the 
very  threatenings  of  the  scriptures  ;  because  the  crime  of 
the  resistance  consists  in  its  being  an  opposition  to  those 
very  tendencies  ascribed  to  faith.  Their  living  in  sin,  there- 
fore, instead  of  disproving  the  practical  influence  of  faith, 
in  exciting  all  holy  affections,  and  inducing  to  all  good 
works,  is  demonstration  that  faith  has  that  influence. 

In  averring  that  faith  has  a  tendency  to  produce  all  the 
varieties  of  practical  godliness.  I  have  had  no  intention  of 
attributing  to  it  an  irresistible  mechanical  force.  Anything 
which  may  be  predicated  of  man,  viewed  in  his  probation- 
ary character,  under  the  government  of  God,  must  be  con- 
sistent with  his  free-agency,  or  it  is  false  in  morals.  There 
may  be  a  thousand  counteracting  agencies,  whose  tendency 
would  naturally  lead  to  practical  ungodliness.  They  are 
equally  destitute  of  mechanical  force  ;  and  yet  he  may  feel 
their  full  influence,  and  suffer  himself  to  be  misled  by  them 
into  most  criminal  indigencies.  He  may  choose  the  good,  or 
he  may  choose  the  evil,  for  God  has  characterised  him  by 
freedom  of  will :  but  his  mistakes  are  at  his  own  peril.  He 
lives  in  a  state  of  things,  where  there  is  an  intermixture  of 
good  and  evil — each  having  its  own  associations,  or  being 
a  property  of  every  part  of  the  system.  He  has  intelligence 
to  discern  between  them,  and  the  gospel  is  intended  to 
afford  him  the  greatest  facilities  in  following  the  one,  and 
avoiding  the   other,  which  his  condition  will   admit.     His 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  289 

knowledge  of  evil  can  exert  no  irresistible  agency  ;  for  his 
knowledge  of  God,  by  the  introduction  of  the  gospel,  is 
more  than  equivalent  to  that  agency.  Yet  he  may  yield  to 
an  agency  which  he  can  resist.  In  a  happier  stale  of  things, 
his  first  parents  became  polluted;  and  angels  themselves  fell, 
and  were  dealt  with  as  guilty.  Thus  man  may  fall  at  this 
hour,  and  be  condemned  as  faulty  and  criminal,  in  falling. 
And  such  is  the  scriptural  view  of  his  case  under  such  cir- 
cumstances. He  minds  the  things  of  the  flesh,  instead  of 
minding  the  things  of  the  spirit.  He  has  cherished,  instead 
of  mortifying,  his  lusts.  He  has  loved  the  world,  instead  of 
loving  God.  He  has  tried  to  effect  a  compromise  between 
God  and  mammon;  but  has  failed  in  the  impracticable 
scheme,  and  fallen  a  victim,  as  he  might  have  foreseen, 
to  the  lust  which  he  brought  into  competition  with  his  moral 
sense.  He  has  entertained  the  agents  which  decoy  to 
evil,  and  thus  nurtured  his  passions  with  all  their  hurtful  ten- 
dencies ;  and  he  has  done  this  at  the  expense  of  his  better 
convictions,  and  his  purer  feelings.  The  operation  is  com- 
mon, and  the  consequences  are  natural.  No  mechanical 
force  is  necessary  to  explain  the  catastrophe. 

The  human  mind  may,  after  having  reached  the  most  vi- 
vid conviction  of  any  particular  truth,  soon  loose  the  sense, 
or  impression,  of  that  truth.  The  pains  may  not  be  taken, 
in  order  to  preserve  its  freshness.  Its  value  may  not  be  fully 
credited,  and.attention  may  be  withheld  from  it :  and  so  a  rea- 
dy admission  may  be  given  to  other  impressions  than  its  own, 
and  which  may  be  very  insidiously  made.  Its  companions 
may  not  be  sought — the  mind  may  not  persevere  in  its  habit 
of  inquiry — a  single  virtue  may  be  thought  sufficient — and 
thus  an  appearance  of  morality  will  cover  a  formal  treaty 
with  lust,  or  serve  as  an  apology  for  indolence.  The  sense 
of  truth  is  in  this  manner  lost,  and  conviction  has  not  pro- 
duced its  natural  results.  In  order  to  preserve  the  force  of 
truth,  when  it  has  been  acquired,  its  bidding  must  be  obeyed, 
and  its  influence  be  sustained  by  practical  effort.  Otherwise 
there  will  be  a  total  failure  in  the  great  work  of  regeneration  ; 
by  which  alone,  as  being  an  entire  transformation,  man  can 
be  fitted  for  the  enjoyments  of  heaven.  There  is  a  vast  deal 
of  moral  philosophy  in  the  simple  adage — "  practice  makes 
perfect ;"  and  in  no  connexion  is  its  philosophy  more  appa- 
rent, than  in  the  cultivation  of  faith.  Faith  leads  to  works, 
and  "by  works  faith  is  made  perfect."  Without  works, 
faith  is  like  a  body  without  a  spirit — it  is  in  an  unnatural 
25 


290  LECTURES  ON 

state— it  is  dead.  There  is  no  matter  of  wonder  that  a 
man,  who  resists  his  own  convictions,  should  soon  loose 
this  sense,  or  impression,  of  truth  on  his  own  mind  ;  or,  in 
other  words,  that  he  who  does  not  yield  to  their  influence, 
or  follow  out  their  tendency,  should  lose  the  convictions 
themselves,  and  be  justly  denominated  an  unbeliever. 

The  redeemer  very  explicitly  stated  to  the  jews,  that  they 
could  not  attain  to  evangelical  truth  in  any  other  way.  They 
were  very  much  astonished  at  the  moral  elevation,  which  he 
evidently  occupied,  and  seriously  inquired  by   what  method 
he  had  reached  it.     "  How  knoweth  this  man  letters,"  they 
asked,  "  having  never  learned  ?"     To  this  he  replied, — "My 
doctrine  is  not  mine,  but  his  that  sent  me.     If  any  man  will 
do  his  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God, 
or  whether  I  speak  of  myself."     To  apply  the  principle  of 
this  answer : — Everyman  has  some  degree  of  knowledge. 
The  very  heathen,  as  we  have  seen,  have  the  law  written  on 
their  hearts,  and  do  by  nature  the  things  contained  in  the 
law.     Their  own  conscience  is  ever  bearing  witness  to  them ; 
and  God  himself  has  afforded  them  ample  and  varied  exhi- 
bitions of  his   nature    and   proceedings.      It  is  surely    not 
too  much  to  assert,  that,   in   christian  lands,  the  elemental 
truths  in  evangelic  morals   are  equally   apparent.      If  any 
man,    be    he    christian    or   heathen,  shall    do    the    will  of 
God,  as  far  as   he  knows  it,   or  shall  carry  out  into  actual 
practice  the  convictions  which  he  cannot  disavow,  he  shall 
continue  to  grow  in  knowledge,  to  the  whole  extent  of  his 
effort.     The  principle  may  be  carried  up  to  the  highest  de- 
gree of  moral  refinement,  to  the  greatest  reach  of  intellectual 
improvement,  or  to  the  loftiest  assurance  of  faith ;  and  it 
can  be  as  effectually  and  profitably  applied  in  that  condition 
of  extended  privileges.  The  sphere  of  action  has  then  become 
enlarged;   all  the  fine  affections  and  more  delicate  sensibili- 
ties of  the  human  heart,   all  the  broad  and  expanded  views, 
and  all  the  magnificent  conceptions  of  the  human  mind;  all 
the  dependancies  of  human  life,  in  which  multitudes,  una- 
ble to  sustain  themselves,  look  out  for  a  leader,  desire  in- 
struction and  call  for  example;  are  then  to  be  supported  by 
the  practical  operations  of  faith.     He  who  has  received  ten 
talents,  must  do  the  will  of  God,  so  fully  and  extensively,  as 
to  gain  ten  talents  more :  at  the  same  time  that  he  who  has 
received  but   one  talent,  moves  in  an  humbler  sphere  and 
with  feebler  ability,  to  gain  one  talent.     These  moral  agents 
cannot  exchange  places ;  but  each  must  do  the  will  of  God 


MORAL   GOVERNMENT.  291 

according  to  his  ability.  Ifeither  declines  to  meet  his  own  per- 
sonal obligation,  it  matters  not  which  of  them  it  shall  be,  he  re- 
sists his  own  conviction,. loses  the  sense,  or  impression,  of 
divine  truth  on  his  own  mind,  and  retrogades  into  unbelief. 
It  is  natural  that  it  should  be  so  ;  and  just  as  natural  as  that 
he  should  grow  in  knowledge  by  doing  the  divine  will.  "If 
any  man  be  a  hearer  of  the  word,"  says  James,  "  and  not  a 
doer,  he  is  like  unto  a  man  beholding  his  natural  face  in  a 
glass,  and  goeth  his  way,  and  straightway  forgetteth  what 
manner  of  man  he  was."  Christian,  jew,  or  heathen,  will 
be  alike  amenable  to  the  unhappy  issue ;  for  it  follows, 
simply  according  to  the  essential  laws  of  human  nature, 
which  have  indissolubly  connected  faith  with  works,  or  prin- 
ciple with  action.  Christian,  jew,  or  heathen,  in  the  very 
act  of  resisting  conscience,  will  sear  conscience  ;  or,  not 
liking  to  retain  God  in  his  knowledge,  will  sink  into  a  repro- 
bate condition  of  mind. 

There  is  another  scriptural  subject,  which  is  closely  allied 
to  faith,  because  it  is  analogous  in  its  character  ;  and  which 
is,  perhaps,  as  widely  misunderstood.  I  refer  to  repen- 
tance :  and  call  it  up  in  this  place,  both  for  its  own  sake,  and 
on  account  of  its  analogical  attributes.  It  is  no  uncommon 
thing  to  hear  of  some  ;.  who  are  always  repenting  and  always 
sinning,  or  alternately  sinning  and  repenting;  and  it  is 
equally  common  to  view  the  convulsions  of  feeling  which 
others  may  experience,  the  many  sighs  they  heave,  and  the 
floods  of  tears  they  shed,  as  being  truly  penitential.  Indeed 
great  effort  is  frequently  made  to  produce  these  paroxysms 
of  feeling  ;  and  that  effort  is  giving  character  to  the  ministerial 
operations  of  the  present  age.  Sin  being  a  great  evil,  abomina- 
ble in  its  nature,  and  fearful  in  its  consequences,  it  seems 
befitting  that  the  sinner  should  deeply  mourn  ;  and  that  he 
should  so  deeply  mourn,  as  though  he  had  discovered  himself 
to  be  "  the  chief  of  sinners  ;"  the  vilest  of  the  vile  ;  a  very 
wretch,  whose  visage  has  not  a  lineament  of  moral  beauty; 
and  whose  heart  is  nothing  but  "  a  cage  of  unclean  birds." 
This  awful  conviction  being  produced,  and  all  hope  being 
merged  in  a  sense  of  self  degradation,  so  that  the  sinner 
begins  to  writhe  in  agony,  and  tells,  in  unmeasured  terms, 
the  torture  of  his  soul,  repentance  is  supposed  to  be  strik- 
ingly exemplified.  To  such  a  statement  of  the  interesting 
subject  before  us,  I  do  most  seriously  demur:  my  ideas  of 
repentance  are  totally  different;  yet  they  neither  justify  sin, 
nor  exclude  feeling;  but  they  are  far  more  consonant,  as  J 


292  LECTURES  ON 

believe,  with  the  condition  of  man  under  the  proclama- 
tion of  mercy — under  which  whosoever  will,  may  be  saved* 
I  do  not  see  how,  nor  why,  any  man  should  be  brought  into 
such  a  state  of  mind,  who  has  not  been  guilty  of  some  most 
diabolical  intentions,  or  flagrant  transgressions  ;  or  who  is 
not  entirely  ignorant  of  the  calls  of  mercy,  and  therefore,  put 
on  his  justification  under  law  ;  or  who  has  not  been  brought 
under  some  artificial  excitement,  which  is  neither  wise  nor 
pious  ;  or  who  is  not  a  pitiable  instance  of  nervous  derange- 
ment, whom  no  argument  can  reach,  nor  promises  soothe. 
This  kind  of  feeling  appears  to  me  to  be  that  worldly  sorrow, 
which  Paul  declares,  worketh  death  :  such  as  distracted  the 
bosom  of  Judas,  when  he  threw  back  in  anguish  the  thirty 
pieces  of  silver,  and  in  horrible  despair  terminated  his  wretch- 
ed existence. 

These  ideas  of  repentance,  which  happily  may  be  more 
rare  than  I  imagine,  I  suppose  to  originate  in  an  injudicious 
theory,  which  refers  the  sinner  to  law,  as  the  condemning 
power  under  which  he  lives.  Now  the  fact  is  that  we  are 
under  grace,  and  not  under  law.  The  call  to  repentance  is 
not  a  legal,  but  an  evangelical,  matter.  No  man,  since  the 
fall,  has  ever  been  under  law  :  unless  the  symbolical  exhibi- 
tion of  law,  involved  in  the  Jewish  dispensation,  be  con- 
sidered as  throwing  the  children  of  Israel  into  that  relation. 
Change  the  fact,  and  bring  law,  deprived  of  all  the  modifi- 
cations of  the  divine  government  which  grace  has  introduced, 
to  bear  in  its  appropriate  force  upon  the  human  conscience, 
and  I  readily  grant  that  it  may  be  remitted  to  unmingled 
terror,  and  to  the  wildest  distraction.  Associate  with  such  a 
statement  of  the  law  a  corresponding  view  of  the  divine 
character,  and  introduce  upon  the  whirlwind  the  coming 
Judge,  infinite  in  justice  and  almighty  in  power,  instead  of 
describing  the  yearnings,  and  declaring  the  loving  kindness, 
of  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ, 
and  the  tumultuous  horror  is  protracted.  Much  I  fear 
that  this  is  sometimes  done  in  the  most  unwarrantable  man- 
ner, as  though  the  Saviour  were  yet  to  die,  and  God  were  to 
be  reconciled.  The  effect  thus  produced,  inspires  the  indi- 
vidual, who  so  keenly  suffers,  with  false  views  of  God,  and 
sends  him  forth  into  the  world  to  criticise  and  condemn  his 
brethren  by  a  mistaken  standard  of  piety;  to  inject  doubts, 
where,  he  should  have  offered  consolation  ;  or  to  stand  off  in 
in  all  the  coldness  of  suspicion,  when  he  should  have  unre- 
servedly afforded  the  sympathies  of  a  brother's  heart.     Such, 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  293 

ah  effect  is  undesirable  in  every  view  ;  and,  in  the  guise  of 
evangelical  purity,  makes  sad  the  heart  of  those  whom  God 
has  not  made  sad.  Repentance  is  evangelical  in  its  char- 
acter, and  ought  to  be  equally  so  in  its  terms.  Thus  it  is  set 
forth  in  the  scriptures,  and  thus  it  ought  to  be  exhibited 
from  ministerial  lips. 

There  are  two  greek  words,  which  .the  inspired  writers 
have  used  in  their  various  grammatical  forms,  and  which  our 
translators  have  uniformly  rendered  repent,  or  repentance. 
The  one  signifies  an  uneasy  condition  of  mind  ;  a  state  of 
regret  or  sorrow,  for  something  that  has  been  done  ;  with- 
out any  regard  either  to  duration  or  effects.  So  Judas  is 
said  to  have  repented.  The  other  word  expresses  a  change 
of  mind;  and  consequently  of  conduct  or  behavior.  Both 
these  terms  are  used  by  the  apostle,  when  he  remarks,  that 
"Godly  sorrow  worketh  repentance  to  salvation,  not  to  be 
repented  of."  This  "play  upon  the  word  repent"  is  not  in 
the  original ;  which  would  be  better  rendered, — "Godly  sor- 
row worketh  repentance  unto  salvation  not  to  be  regretted." 
The  word,  which  signifies  a  change  of  mind,  is  always  used, 
when  the  repentance  under  consideration  is  called  for.  Man- 
ifestly no  sorrow  for  sin,  however  protracted  or  deep,  makes 
up  repentance  before  God.  Something  more,  a  great  deal 
more,  is  required,  and  that  in  the  most  positive  and  solemn 
terms.  Many  a  man  weeps  over  his  sin,  and  greatly  regrets 
it,  who  has  not  repented,  because  he  commits  it  still.  His 
feelings  have  been  transitory;  his  mind  has  not  been  changed  ; 
and  until  his  views  are  entirely  altered,  and  sin  is  abandoned 
with  a  firm  and  intelligent  purpose  ;  until  his  feeelings,  un- 
der the  direction  of  an  enlightened  mind,  have  become  pure 
and  staid ;  and  until  his  habits  shall  be  correct  and  uni- 
form: he  has  not,  however  deep  his  sorrow,  heavy  his 
sighs,  or  loud  his  lamentations,  attained  to  repentance  unto 
salvation. 

Very  probably  repentance  has  been  misapprehended  for 
the  same  reason  that  faith  has  been  misconceived  :  i.  e.  it 
is  viewed  as  the  gift  of  God;  and  therefore  the  intellectual 
operation  it  implies  has  been  slighted.  Christ,  it  will  be 
said,  has  been  "  exalted  to  give  repentance  unto  Israel,  and 
forgiveness  of  sins."  But  it  is  to  be  observed  that  the  word 
Israel  is  a  general  term,  and  is  applied  to  the  whole  nation 
of  the  jews.  And  can  it  \>e  said  that  repentance  was  be- 
stowed as  an  individual  gift  upon  that  people;  or  that  repen- 
tance was,  strictly  speaking,  a  gift  to  them  at  all  ?  Certainly 
25* 


294  lectures  ore 

not;  for  that  nation,  instead  of  repenting,  were  cut  off.  A 
more  liberal  construction  must  therefore  be  sought ;  and  giv- 
ing' must  be  taken  in  the  sense  of  proclamation.  Instead  of 
cutting  them  off  instantly,  Jehovah  waited  on  them  in  much 
long  suffering,  calling  upon  them  by  his  apostle  to  repent ;  and 
delaying,  in  order  to  give  them  full  opportunity  to  repent. 
Hence  Paul  reasons  with  them  on  this  principle, — "Ordes- 
pisest  thou  the  riches  of  his  goodness,  and  forbearance  and 
long-suffering  kindness  ;  not  knowing  that  the  goodness  of 
God  leadeth,  (moveth,  excheth,  or  urgeth)  thee  to  repen- 
tance? But  after  thy  hardness  and  impenitent  heart,  trea- 
surest  up  unto  thyself  wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath." 

The  same  expression — God's  giving  repentance — is  also 
applied  to  the  gentiles.  When  Peter  "rehearsed"  unto  his 
brethren  the  occurrences  that  had  transpired  during  his  visit 
to  Cornelius,  they  rejoiced  and  said, — "Then  hath  God  also 
unto  the  gentiles  granted  (given)  repentance  unto  life."  The 
language  is  general,  and  denotes  the  call  of  the  gentiles, 
according  to  the  purpose  of  election,  which  had  been  dis- 
tinctly announced  by  the  prophets.  The  great  matter  of  of- 
fence with  Peter  was,  that  he  had  gone  among  gentiles. 
The  inference  drawn  from  his  explanation  was,  that  he  had 
done  right,  and  that  from  henceforth  any  of  them  might  im- 
itate his  example;  seeing  that  it  was  now  evident  that  God 
had  conferred  the  privileges  of  the  gospel  upon  the  gentiles, 
as  well  as  upon  the  jew? 

In  like  manner,  Zach  arias,  being  filled  with  the  Holy 
Ghost,  prophesied  concerning  his  son,  John  the  baptist — 
"  Thou  shalt  go  before  the  face  of  the  Lord,  to  prepare  his 
way,  to  give  knowledge  of  salvation  unto  his  people." — The 
same  kind  of  phraseology  is  used  in  relation  to  Jezebel — "I 
gavehei-  space  to  repent — and  she  repented  not." — In  fact, 
the  mode  of  expression  is  common  with  both  profane  and 
sacred  writers. 

Faith  resembles  repentance  in  this  respect ;  or  is  the  gift 
of  God  in  a  similar  maimer.  The  human  mind  is  passive  in 
neither,  but  is  active  in  both.  And  the  texts  which  are 
brought  to  show  that  faith  is  directly  the  gift  of  God,  are 
like  those  which  have  been  advanced  to  establish  a  corres- 
ponding view  in  relation  to  repentance.  Thus — "  Unto  you 
it  is  given*  in  the  behalf  of  Christ,  not  only  to  believe  on  him, 
but  also  to  suffer  for  his  sake."  Here  suffering  is  as  much 
the  gift  of  God,  as  faith  is ;   and  evidently  nothing  more  is 

*  A  particular  favor  has  been  granted,  or  ye  have  been  favored. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT  295 

intended,  than  is  implied  in  Peter's  declaration, — "  for  even 
hereunto  were  ye  called,  because  Christ  also  hath  suffered 
for  us."  The  suffering  which  is  alluded  to,  resulted  from  the 
nature  of  the  calling,  to  which  those  who  endured  were  re- 
quired to  respond  under  peculiar  circumstances.  The 
mind  is  not  passive,  but  is  called  particularly  to  endure, 
which  requires  a  great  deal  of  active  energy.  Such  was  the 
duty  assigned  to  the  philippians — not  only  to  believe,  but 
also  to  suffer.  And  that  duty  was  assigned  to,  or  this  task 
devolved  upon,  them,  with  the  view  of  their  promoting  more 
efficiently  the  kingdom  of  Christ ;  so  that  the  matter  of  favor 
figuratively  applied  to  the  means,  belongs  properly  to  the  ob- 
ject. Suffering,  simply  considered,  is  not  a  gift;  nor  is  it  so 
represented  in  this  passage ;  but,  it  is  spoken  of  in  an 
official  view.  Being  then  placed  under  those  circumstances 
which  called  for  suffering,  the  whole  text  must  be  interpreted 
on  the  same  general  principle  :  i.  e.  He  who  has  been  ex- 
alted a  prince  and  a  saviour,  to  give,  to  grant,  or  to  proclaim, 
repentance  unto  Israel  and  remission  of  sins,  hath  given 
unto  you,  hath  called  upon  you,  not  only  to  believe,  but  to 
suffer.  And  such  being  the  call,  you  must  not  decline  it  in 
either  respect.* 

Again,  it  is  said — "For  by  grace  are  ye  saved,  through 
faith;  and  that  not  of  yourselves,  it  is  the  g*ijft  of  God."  In 
this  expression,  the  apostle  is  supposed  to  assert  unequivo- 
cally that  faith  is  directly  the  gift  of  God.  But  a  little  re- 
flection may  convince  any  one  that  the  expositor  has  been 
too  rapid  :  for  why  may  not  the  relative  refer  to  the  whole 
proposition  as  well  as  to  faith  ?  It  is  the  gift  of  God  that 
"ye  are  saved  by  grace  through  faith."  The  whole  economy  is 
a  divine  gift,  and  particularly  was  so  to  the  ephesians;  be- 
cause they,  being  gentiles,  were  now  called  in,  according  to 
the  purpose  of  election,  which  Jehovah  was  executing  at 
the  time  in  erecting  the  new  dispensation.  This  peculiar 
favor,  conferred  on  the  ephesians,  was  the  very  subject 
which  he  was  arguing  out  with  them  ;  as  is  evident  from  the 
whole  chapter  from  which  the  text  is  taken.  "  You,"  says 
he,  "  who  were  dead  in  trespasses  and  in  sins,  hath  he  quick- 
ened,— That  in  the  ages  to  come  he  might  show  the  exceed- 
ing riches  of  his  grace."  If  any  one  should  demur  to  this 
analysis,  and  assert  that  faith  is  the  nearest  antecedent,  and 
that  therefore  the  relative  must  necessarily  refer  to  it ;  we  must 
ask  him  to  go  a  little  farther,  and  to  observe  the  grammatical 

•Phil.  i.  29. 


296  LECTURES  Oft 

construction  of  the  sentence.  He  will  find  that  the  relative 
is  in  the  neuter  gender,  while  the  supposed  antecedent  is 
feminine.  Of  course  they  cannot  agree;  and  the  assertion, 
that  faith  is  the  gift  of  God,  is  not  in  the  text.  Further  re- 
mark must  be  entirely  unnecessary. 

These  two  matters  then,  faith  and  repentance,  are  intel- 
lectual exercises:  repentance  is  change  of  mind;  and  with 
the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness.  In  view  of 
a  general  argument  they  illustrate  each  other,  as  kind- 
red operations  of  mind.  They  differ  as  the  correspond- 
ing phrases  in  the  old  testament, — forsake  your  sins  and 
turn  unto  the  Lord — differ.  The  call  to  repentance,  re- 
quires of  men  to  alter  their  views,  feelings  and  habits — to 
abandon  or  renounce  them,  because  they  are  sinful.  The 
call  to  faith,  requires  of  men  to  accept  the  offers  of  mercy, 
and  to  think,  feel,  and  act  accordingly.  A  compliance 
with  these  calls  imperiously  demands  the  human  soul  to  put 
forth  all  its  energies — which  effort  being  declined,  or  care- 
lessly made,  sin  is  committed,  and  condemnation  incurred. 

After  having  explained  the  nature  and  operations  of  faith, 
on  the  common  principles  which  belong  to  the  character  of 
man  as  an  intellectual  being,  the  question,  whether  he  has 
power  to  believe,  becomes  a  mere  inquiry  whether  he  has  abil- 
ity to  observe,  read,  and  hear  ;  or  to  think,  reason,  decide, 
and  act  in  relation  to  any  thing  he  has  observed  or  read  or 
heard  ?  We  might  as  well  ask — can  the  farmer  plough,  sow, 
reap,  and  gather  into  his  garner?  Can  the  mechanic  han- 
dle the  implements  of  his  trade  ;  ingeniously  contrive  and 
promptly  execute  those  various  combinations,  which  have 
both  multiplied  and  supplied  the  artificial  wants  of  mankind  ? 
Can  the  philosopher,  by  his  researches,  ascertain  the  laws  of 
nature,  trace  the  path  of  a  celestial  luminary,  or  analyse  the 
properties  of  matter  r  These  queries  are  too  simple  and 
plain  to  admit  any  hesitancy  in  replying.  Then  if  man  has 
power  to  do  all  these  things,  where  lies  the  difficulty  ?  Is  it 
not  strange  that  there  should  be  any  perplexity  about  such 
a  familiar  matter? 

But  it  will  be  said,  that  the  argument  maintained  precludes 
all  the  Spirits's  operations,  and  shuts  out  divine  power  from 
all  concern  with  the  subject?  If  so,  I  recant,  and  condemn 
the  whole  leasoning  so  carefully  elaborated.  But  is  it  the 
fact  that  the  Spirit  of  God  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  opera- 
tions of  the  farmer,  the  mind  of  the  mechanic,  or  the  genius 
of  the  philosopher  ?     If  instead  of  faith,  we  had  been  so  for- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  297 

tunate  as  to  enjoy  vision,  would  such  superior  ability  have 
rendered  us  independent  of  divine  power?  .  Or  doth  not  Je- 
hovah "  hang  creation  on  his  arm,  and  feed  it  at  his  board?" 
Why  then  should  not  faith  be  as  fairly  represented  in  its  own- 
place,  as  vision  may  be  in  its  own  place  ?  Is  diminution  of 
power  an  annihilation  of  power  ?  Or  may  not  man  be  a 
responsible  agent,  as  well  as  an  angel  ? — -There  must  be  some 
fearful  premises,  both  distant  and  occult,  from  which  the 
conclusions  we  would  combat  arise  ;  or  moralists  would  never 
have  gotten  into  such  unhappy  collision  with  all  the  plain 
perceptions  of  common  sense,  and  the  beautiful  analogies 
of  nature. 

Let  us  minutely  trace  one  of  these  analogies. — A  says  to 
B,  the  farmer  cannot  plough  nor  sow  his  field.  B  stands 
astonished  at  so  unblushing  a  declaration,  which  every  one 
is  conscious  is  untrue,  and  intimates  his  great  surprise.  A 
replies — I  made  the  statement  merely  for  illustration,  and 
freely  admit  that  the  farmer  can  plough  and  sow  his  field. — 
The  dispute  is  at  an  end.  But  C  steps  in,  and  remarks,  the 
farmer  cannot  plough  and  sow  his  field,  unless  God  shall 
co-operate  with  him.  He  is  a  poor  feeble  creature,  and  his 
creator  must  support  him  every  hour,  and  in  every  move- 
ment ;  and  not  only  so,  but  he  must  bless  his  labors,  and  by  a 
providential  agency  make  the  earth  to  bring  forward  the  seed 
sown  to  the  maturity  of  harvest.  I  know  it,  rejoins  B,  God 
sends  forth  his  Spirit,  and  the  face  of  earth  is  renewed:  nor 
did  I  intend  to  utter  any  doubt  about  the  agency  of  divine 
providence.  So  I  understood  you,  adds  A :  for  the  connexion 
and  consistency  between  the  farmer's  ability  to  plough  and 
sow,  and  the  co-operating  agency  of  God,  is  too  plain  and 
evident  to  be  denied.  And  in  fact  the  farmer  ploughs  and 
sows,  because  he  knows  that  God  sustains  him,  and  will  bless 
his  labors. — All  parties  are  agreed,  and  the  controversy  is 
over.  And  thus  all  the  world  talk  about  ability  and  inabili- 
ty ;  and  say  what  can,  and  what  cannot,  be  done,  with  well 
defined  ideas,  and  in  perfect  harmony.  No  evil  passions 
are  engendered;  no  harsh  language  is  used;  every  one  does 
his  duty  in  his  own  place  ;  and  the  beautiful  system  which 
God  has  formed,  is  preserved  in  regular  and  uniform  opera- 
tion. 

I  desire  to  be  as  plainly  understood  in  my  ideas  of  faith. 
When  I  say  that  man  can  believe,  I  have  not  a  solitary 
doubt  with  regard  to  the  Spirit's  agency,  or  an  overruling 
providence..     On  the   contrary,  the  promises  of  the  gospel 


298  LECTURES  ON 

guaranty  to  us  this  divine  agency  ;  and  the  believer  "  works 
out  his  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling,*'  because  he 
knows  that  "  God  works  in  him,  both  to  will  and  to  do,  of  his 
own  good  pleasure;"  just  as  the  farmer  goes  forth  to  plough 
and  sow,  knowing  that  God  will  sustain  his  being  and  pros- 
per his  labors.  I  mean  nothing  more,  nor  any  thing  less. 
Dropping  technical  terms,  I  use  words  in  their  plain  and 
common  acceptation,  and  suppose  man  in  relation  to  morals 
to  be  the  same  creature  that  he  is  in  relation  to  every  thing 
else.  And  if  christians  in  general  would  adopt  this  course, 
they  would  soon  understand  Christianity,  and  understand  one 
another.  The  scriptures  speak  in  this  manner;  and  appeal 
to  the  analogies  of  nature,  which  no  one  mistakes,  to  illus- 
trate their  meaning. 

To  return  to  the  analogy,  and  change  the  point  of  argu- 
ment.— A  says  to  B,  the  farmer  must  plough  and  sow  his 
field.  He  has  no  choice  in  the  case.  B  is  as  much  aston- 
ished as  before,  and  again  expresses  his  surprise.  A  must 
again  recant,  for  the  proposition  is  too  monstrous  to  be  sus- 
tained. And  C  can  have  nothing  to  object,  for  here  a  doc- 
trine of  election  would  be  out  of  place.  No  decree,  beyond 
the  common  laws  of  nature,  is  suspected;  and  as  the  free- 
agency  of  the  farmer  stands  undisputed,  all  ideas  of  compul- 
sion are  cheerfully  given  up.  Some  individual,  laboring 
under  a  pitiable  obliquity,  or  yielding  to  the  prejudice  of  a 
grievously  faulty  education,  or  anxiously  endeavoring  to  mo- 
vent an  apology  for  criminal  indolence,  might  frame  an  ob- 
jection, whose  apparent  ingenuity  would  please  himself. — 
But  all  the  world  would  smile  at  the  petty  conceit,  and,  hav- 
ing no  time  to  waste  on  the  freaks  of  abstract  theory,  would 
industriously  pursue  their  course  ;  while  he  himself,  not  ca- 
pricious enough  to  carry  out  his  own  svstem,  would  eat  his 
daily  bread  and  enjoy  his  nightly  rest,  as  though  he  knew 
that  effects  had  causes,  or  that  ends  were  to  be  accomplished 
by  means.  The  truth  of  the  case  is  simply  this.  The  farmer 
is  fully  aware  that  labor  is  the  common  lot  of  humanity,  and 
that  unalloyed  good  is  not  to  be  attained  in  this  world ;  that, 
if  he  does  not  plough  and  sow,  he  can  reap  no  crop,  for  the 
beams  of  the  sun  and  showers  of  rain  will  not  supply  his 
lack  of  service  ;  that  he  must  gain  bread  by  the  sweat  of  his 
brow,  or  starve ;  that  he  must  provide  for  his  own  house,  or 
make  his  wife  a  widow,  and  his  children  fatherless,  before 
he  descends  to  the  grave  ;  that  to  neglect  his  employment, 
and  to  "follow  vain  persons,"  is  to  show  himself  "void  oJf 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  299 

understanding,"  while  his  field  is  "all  grown  over  with 
thorns,  and  nettles  hath  covered  the  face  thereof;"  that  his 
indolence  will  convert  him  into  a  wretched  and  degraded 
pauper,  will  reduce  him  to  infamy  and  crime,  prepare  for 
him  an  inglorious  death  and  a  dishonoured  grave,  and  usher 
him  into  the  presence  of  an  angry  God  only  to  banish  him 
to  hell.  These  are  spirit-stirring  reflections.  They  inspire 
him  with  motives  both  rational  and  powerful,  and  he  neither 
"observeth  the  wind,"  nor  "regardeth  the  clouds,"  but  goeth 
forth  to  his  labor  with  the  morning  dawn,  gathers  his  fruits  in 
their  seasons,  and  is  "satisfied  with  bread."  Reverse  the 
picture,  and  the  disastrous  consequences  of  which  he  had 
been  distinctly  forewarned,  come  in  regular  and  rapid  and 
certain  succession.  His  own  conscience  accuses  and  con- 
demns ;  and  all  the  world  affirms  the  decree,  pronouncing 
a  "judgment  that  will  not  linger,"  and  a  "damnation  that 
will  not  slumber." 

Just  so  do  I  understand  the  matter  in  reference  to  religion. 
The  christian  is  a  moral  farmer,  and  is  called  to  plough  and 
sow,  if  he  desires  to  reap.  A  thousand  motives,  involving 
honor  and  happiness,  both  individual  and  social ;  ex- 
tending in  their  application  both  to  time  and  eternity;  and 
which  he  can  both  comprehend  and  appreciate,  agitate 
his  mind.  His  soul  feels  their  power;  for  they  are  not 
mere  words  whose  sound  has  fallen  on  his  ear,  but  "they  are 
spirit  and  life,"  and  have  reached  his  inmost  mind.  He 
must  obey  their  impulse  and  live,  or  resist  and  perish.  There 
is  no  other  alternative.  God,  in  much  forbearance,  is  ever 
varying  the  form  in  which  these  interesting  truths  are  pre- 
sented ;  or  multiplying  and  simplifying  their  illustrations, 
waiting  for  a  decision  ;  or  inducing  a  review  when  a  false 
decision  is  made,  and  appealing,  while  the  moral  sense  is 
not  entirely  stupified,  to  its  last  and  least  remains.  Angels 
have  tuned  their  harps,  and  wait  to  rejoice.  Ministers,  pa- 
rents, a  ransomed  church,  wait.  How  can  the  sinner  resist  ? 
Or  resisting,  say — let  common  sense  speak — -is  he  not  guilty 
— fearfully  guilty  ? 

I  cannot  conceive  of  any  other  operation  of  divine  pow- 
er in  the  case,  than  that  in  which  God  thus  accomplishes  his 
designs  by  appropriate  means  ;  unless  man  shall  be  stripped 
of  his  free-agency,  and  be  as  destitute  of  power  of  volition 
as  an  inanimate  machine.  That  operation  of  power  Jeho- 
vah disclaims: — "Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my 
Spirit,  saith  the  Lord."     He  promised  much  to  Israel  of  old, 


300  LECTURES  ON 

but  said,  "I  will  yet  for  this  be  enquired  of  by  the  house  of 
Israel  to  do  it  for  them."  We  are  kept  by  his  power  through 
faith.  Neither  can  I  see  any  valuable  end  to  be  answered 
by  any  other  view  of  divine  power.  If  men  can  be  saved, 
according  to  the  system  laid  down,  and  consistently  with 
their  own  responsibility,  what  need  is  there  for  any  farther 
operation  of  power  ?  If  a  farther  exercise  of  power  will  ne- 
cessarily construct  individual  salvation  upon  divine  sove- 
reignty, and  take  it  away  from  human  free-agency;  then  to 
bring  in  that  additional  power,  is  not  only  to  introduce  an- 
other, but  a  worse  system  of  morals.  It  would  distinct- 
ly follow,  that  God  must,  without  any  reference  to  their 
moral  abilities,  save  all  men,  or  assign  a  reason  why  he  has, 
in  sovereignty,  made  a  selection.  In  the  one  case  men  are 
responsible  to  the  extent  of  their  capacity,  and  in  the  other 
they  are  dealt  with  as  responsible,  while  they  have  no  capa- 
city. Surely  this. latter  view  is  incomparably  worse  than  the 
first,  and  there  must  needs  be  a  very  sufficient  reason  for  so 
strange  a  proceeding. 

The  hypothesis,  which  strikes  us  as  so  singular  and  ob- 
jectionable, has  been  both  stated  and  defended.  What  is 
the  reason,  by  which  its  advocates  would  justify  it?  Some 
will  reply,  all  men  have  forfeited  their  moral  rights;  God  is 
under  no  obligation  to  save  any  of  them;  and  he  may  surely 
save  some  of  them,  without  doing  injustice  to  the  rest.  That 
answer  might  do  if  it  corresponded  with  facts.  But  mankind 
have  not  lost  their  personal  responsibility ,  and  consequently, 
have  not  forfeited  their  claims  to  a  form  of  moral  govern- 
ment, which  shall  be  consistent  with  that  responsibility.  It. 
is  true,  that  personally  they  have  sinned  ;  but  then  they  have 
been  brought  into  a  condition  of  infirmity,  by  a  fault  not 
their  own,  and  therefore  are  objects  of  forbearance, — and  this 
same  matter  of  forbearance  is  a  favorite  attribute  of  the  evan- 
gelical administration.  Moreover,  the  gospel  is  as  happily 
suited  to  one  human  being  as  it  is  to  another;  and  on  a 
principle  of  free-agency,  is  just  as  practicable  for  one  as  for 
another:  so  that  if  there  be  no  omnipotent  combatant  on 
the  field,  one  might  be  saved  as  well  as  the  other.  And 
finally,  they  who  are  condemned,  are  not  condemned  on  ac- 
count of  an  original  forfeiture,  in  view  of  which  the  gospel 
has  passed  them  by  ;  but  because  they  have  rejected  the  gos- 
pel in  their  own  unbelief.  The  answer  stated  does  not  then 
correspond  with  the  facts. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  301 

Some  may  attempt  to  meet  the  difficulty  by  asserting,  that 
man  is  not  competent  to  fathom  so  deep  a  mystery ;  and  that 
God  gives  no  account  of  his  matters  to  his  creatures.  Such 
a  reply  makes  the  whole  hypothesis  equivocal.  Every  man 
should  speak  very  modestly,  when  he  professedly  does  not 
understand  the  doctrines  which  he  advocates.  I  see  no  ad- 
vantage to  be  gained,  by  proclaiming  a  moral  system,  which 
is  so  defective  and  unintelligible  at  the  very  start.  Besides, 
this  reply  is  directly  opposed  to  the  facts  in  the  case.  For  God 
has  given  the  reason,  why  he  condemns  any  of  our  race, 
with  as  much  distinctness,  as  he  has  explained  why  he  has 
■accepted  others.  The  law  "of  the  moral  system  is  explicitly 
applied  both  ways. — He  who  believeth  shall  be  saved — he 
who  believeth  not  shall  be  damned.  Nor  only  so.  But  Je- 
hovah has  not  curtailed  the  intellectual  inquiries  of  his  crea- 
tures, in  any  such  abrupt  manner.  He  has  spread  the  uni- 
verse out  before  them,  and  bid  them  carry  their  researches 
as  far  as  their  capacities  can  extend.  He  has  called  upon 
them  to  canvass  his  character,  and  investigate  his  proceed- 
ings. He  has  no  fear  of  his  own  integrity,  nor  does  he 
dread  our  scrutiny  on  our  own  account;  but  unhesitatingly 
commands  us  to  see,  whether  the  judge  of  all  the  earth  must 
not  do  right.  Under  such  circumstances,  the  plea  of  mys- 
tery betrays  our  own  ignorance,  whenever  it  is  heard.  It 
is  sheer  cowardice  not  to  investigate.  No  doubt,  we  shall 
meet  with  mystery,  or  that  which  to  us  is  a  secret,  at  last ; 
for  who  can,  by  searching,  find  out  God  ?  But  reach  myste- 
ry, when  and  where  we  may,  it  will  still  betray  merely  our 
ignorance.  We  may  go  on  therefore,  until  faith  is  begin- 
ning to  mingle  with  vision,  and  patiently  wait  the  disclosures 
of  the  eternal  world,  where  we  shall  see  God  as  he  is. 

Theologians  have,  however,  offered  a  formal  reason  for 
this  forbidding  hypothesis,  which  seems  to  them  fully  to  sus- 
tain it.  They  tell  us  that  God  carries  on  this  system  of  ope- 
ration for  his  own  glory.  But  is  this  dark  expression  made 
up  of  mere  words,  or  does  it  contain  an  idea  ?  If  there  be 
an  idea,  what  is  it?  Let  us  attempt  to  analyse  it.— Glory  is 
manifested  excellence.  Now  what  excellence  is  there  in 
God's  saving  some,  and  not  saving  others?  What  excellence 
is  there  in  God's  saving  any,  in  a  manner  which  is  not  con- 
sistent with  the  attributes  of  their  own  nature ;  or  in  not 
saving  all,  if  it  may  be  done  in  a  consistent  manner  ?  Where- 
in is  the  greater  glory  displayed — in  a  scheme  constructed 
on  the  intellectual  free-agency  of  an  intelligent  creature,  or 
26 


302  LECTURES  ON 

in  one  which  converts  that  creature  into  a  mere  mechanical 
agent?  Again  ;  admitting  that  excellence  may  be  predica- 
ted of  the  transactions  under  review,  to  whom  is  the  mani- 
festation made  ?  To  God  himself?  This  would  be  too  small  an 
idea  to  be  gravely  entertained,  in  explaining  such  high  con- 
cerns.— To  us,  is  the  display  made?  Then  what  is  the  ex- 
cellence, which  is  thus  vividly  exhibited  ?  We  are  left  to 
admit  its  existence,  without  being  able  to  perceive  it :  and 
this  is  no  manifestation  at  all. — Can  you  see  the  excellence 
of  God's  condemning  immortal  spirits  for  his  own  glory  ?  J 
cannot.  My  soul  shudders  at  the  thought.  The  angels  on 
the  plains  of  Bethlehem  sung — glory  to  God,  peace  on  earth, 
and  good  will  towards  men.  Perhaps  it  will  be  said,  that 
the  glory  of  God  is  designed  to  be  set  forth  be/ore  the  uni- 
verse. But  for  what  practical  purpose?  To  afford  induce- 
ments to  obedience,  and  to  deter  from  rebellion, — it  may  be 
answered.  Then  God  governs  the  universe  on  the  princi- 
ple of  moral  agency,  which  I  have  been  setting  forth  as  be- 
longing to  his  government  Of  man ;  and  our  doctrine  belongs 
to  every  part  of  God's  dominion,  excepting  this  earth,  and 
to  every  intelligent  creature,  excepting  man.  And  where  is 
the  proof,  or  what  is  the  principle  of  proof?  Is  spirit  one 
thing  on  earth  and  another  thing  elsewhere  ;  or  shall  not  re- 
deemed spirits  be  like  the  angels?  But  conceding  even 
this  monstrous  absurdity,  by  which  method  would  the  end 
be  best  answered — by  an  example,  in  which  free-agency  is 
laid  aside,  and  which  would  consequently  be  altogether  irre- 
levant, as  other  intelligent  creatures  are  free-agents ;  or  by 
an  example  in  which  free-agents  act  out  their  own  charac- 
ter ?  How  would  proceedings  purely  arbitrary,  instruct  a 
rational  creature  to  judge  of  the  character  of  proceedings 
which  are  not  arbitrary?  place  him  in  what  part  of  God's 
dominions  you  please. 

Still  farther. — By  what  principles  of  jurisprudence,  shall 
some  not  be  saved,  but  be  left  to  sink  into  perdition  for  the 
instruction  of  others  ?  Surely  the  case  is  a  most  strange  an- 
omale,  which  has  not  an  analogy  to  support  it.  The  re- 
deemer suffers  for  the  benefit  of  others  ;  but  then  his  suffer- 
ings do  not  involve  perdition,  and  he  endures  them  volunta- 
rily ;  which  is  a  totally  different  matter.  His  was  a  magni- 
ficent undertaking,  which  gave  form  to  the  love  that  God  has 
for  man,  and  has  long  since  been  rewarded  by  an  exaltation 
to  the  throne.  Believers  may  suffer  now,  and  the  good  of 
others  be  promoted  thereby  ;  but  then  suffering  is  a  consti- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  303 

tuent  part  of  their  earthly  lot ;  and  the  means  of  doing  good 
are  derived  from  the  nature  of  the  case  ;  nor  do  they  perish, 
even  when  called  to  martyrdom  itself — but  their  afflictions 
work  out  for  them  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight 
of  glory. — There  is  no  way  to  explain  how  any  sinner  is  ru- 
ined, but  that  it  is  his  own  fault.  He  does  evil,  and  therefore 
goes  down  to  weeping,  and  mourning,  and  lamentation,  and 
woe.  Nor  is  there  any  rule,  to  show  how  God,  who  is  a 
righteous  Lord,  and  loveth  righteousness,  who  is  just  while 
he  justifies  the  ungodly  who  believe  in  Jesus,  and  who  has 
no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  sinner,  can  be  glorified  in  the 
sinner's  condemnation,  save  that  which  belongs  to  an  ad- 
ministration strictly  just. 

It  may  now  be  objected,  that  simple  as  the  foregoing  views 
represent  faith  to  be,  yet  after  all,  the  scriptures  have  argu- 
ed out  the  matter  at  very  great  length  ;  from  which  it  would 
appear,  that  the  subject  has  not  all  the  simplicity  which  it 
has  been  supposed  to  possess.  But  unless  I  very  greatly  mis- 
take, theologians  have  here  committed  another  grievous  error. 
I  very  much  doubt  whether  the  scriptures  ever  argue  out  the 
question,  whether  man  can,  or  cannot,  believe  the  gospel. — 
On  the  contrary,  they  positively  require  him  to  believe,  and  un- 
hesitatingly condemn  him  if  he  does  not  believe  the  gospel. 
They  certainly  do  take  up  the  subject  of  human  "ability  and 
inability,"  and  reason  upon  it  at  large  ;  but  their  remarks  take 
a  different  direction,  and  are  applied  to  another  point  alto- 
gether.   Mankind  have  been  placed  under  two  distinct  forms 
of  moral  government — the  one  called  law  and  the  other  call- 
ed gospel.     Of  course,  the  respective  attributes  of  these  two 
systems,  have  been  the  frequent  subject  of  discussion.  Their 
reciprocal  relations  call  them  up,  for  the  sake  of  mutual  ex- 
planations.    The  gospel  has  been  introduced  to  effect  what 
the  law  could  not  do,  in  consequence  of  "the  weakness  of 
the  flesh."     Of  course  the  gospel  could  neither  be  illustrated 
nor  defined  ;  it  could  not  be  traced  to  its  origin,  and  defend- 
ed on  the  plea  of  necessity  ;  nor  carried  forward  to  its  results, 
and  commended  on  its  sufficiency,  without  referring  to  law, 
the  previous  institute  which  had  become  ineffectual.     Be- 
sides, the  question  whether  man  can  or  cannot  be  justified 
by  "deeds  of  law,"  or  whether  he  does,  or  does  not,  need  a  me- 
diator, has  given  rise  to  a  great  deal  of  controversy  in  the 
world.     The   antediluvians  abandoned   the   mediator  alto- 
gether; the  postdiluvians  preserved  the  external  mediatorial 
symbols,  but  stammered  about  their  import,  as  appears  from 


304  LECTURES  ON' 

the  fact,  that  Abraham's  covenant  relations,  and  official  ac- 
tions, were  intended  to  illustrate  "the  righteousness  of  faith;" 
the  jews  were,  notwithstanding  their  zeal  ofGod,  seeking  to  be 
justified  by  law,  and  going  about  to  establish  their  own  right- 
eousness ;   and  to  this  hour  the  christian  soldier,  professedly 
contending  for  "the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints,"  seems 
to  have  but  a  cloud-capt  tower  of  strength.  How  then  could 
the  scriptural  writers  avoid  discussing  the  comparative  mer- 
its of  law  and  gospel;  or  informing  men,  that  they  could  not 
be  saved  by  law;  and  that  they  must,  as  a  matter  of  imperi- 
ous necessity,  flee  to  the  Saviour  ?     This  is  the  point  of  their 
argument  on  the  subject  of  human  ability  and  inability.     In 
view  of  one  institute — man  has  not  ability  to  meet  its  require- 
ments, according  to  the  scriptures  :  in  view  of  the  other,  he 
has  ability,  and  if  he  does  not  rise  and  diligently  use  it,  he 
must  perish  forever.     In  view  of  the  one,  no  interference  of 
divine  power,  consistent  with  the  intellectual  and  moral  na- 
ture of  man,  nor  any  thing  short  of  physical  omnipotence, 
so  to  speak,  could  extricate  him  ;   in  view  of  the  other,  di- 
vine power,  as  in  every  other  instance,  acts  in  perfect  con- 
sistency with  the  nature  or  abilities  of  the  agent  employed; 
and  man  escapes,  or  is  lost,  on  his  own  responsibility.     In 
other  words — as  by  the  sin  of  Adam,  his  children  are  una- 
ble to  meet  their  personal  engagements,  Jehovah  has  extend- 
ed favor  or  grace  unto  them  ;   and  put  them  into  a  condition 
where  they  can  meet  those  engagements. 

A  few  texts  it  may  not  be  improper  to  quote,  in  order  to 
exhibit  this  contrast. — "By  the  deeds  of  law,  there  shall  no 
flesh  be  justified  in  his  sight;  for  by  the  law  is  the  know- 
ledge of  sin."  Every  man  who  makes  the  experiment  of 
deeds  of  law,  will  utterly  fail ;  and  instead  of  justification, 
will  acquire  the  knowledge  of  sin — the  law  will  charge  sin 
upon  him  because  he  cannot  fulfill  it.  "Therefore  we  con- 
clude, that  a  man  is  justified  by  faith  without  the  deeds  of 
law."  The  knowledge  of  sin  does  not  follow  the  experi- 
ment of  faith  ;  because  faith  is  within  the  range  of  human 
ability,  and  the  call  for  it  can  be  met. 

"Without  me,"  says  the  redeemer,  "ye  can  do  nothing:" 
i.  e.  take  away  the  mediator,  and  man  is  undone;  for  then 
he  is  referred  to  "deeds  of  law,"  and  his  case  terminates  in 
the  demonstration  of  guilt.  That  this  is  the  meaning  of  our 
redeemer,  is  evident, — 1.  from  the  nature  of  the  represen- 
tation he  makes.  "I  am  the  true  vine,  and  my  Father  is  the 
husbandman." — Another  vine  may  be  said  to  exists  but  I  am 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  305 

the  true  vine.  Abandon  me  and  ye  are  undone,  be  your 
proposed  relief  what  it  may.  1  am  the  true  vine.  To  send 
me  into  the  world  is  the  Father's  great  plan  of  salvation  : 
and  to  me  you  must  come,  or  perish.  Moreover,  the  whole 
practical  operation  of  faith,  is  compared  to  the  process  of 
vegetation  :  in  which,  not  only  the  original  cause  is  pre- 
sented, but  an  ulterior  result  is  produced,  through  a  series  of 
agents  ;  each  of  which  occupies  its  appropriate  place,  and 
ministers  according  to  its  own  capacity.  And,  2.  The  re- 
deemer is  addressing  himself  to  jews,  who  misunderstood 
his  mediatorial  character,  had  forgotten  the  righteousness 
of  faith,  and  were  seeking  to  be  justified  by  law.  In  oppo- 
sition, therefore,  to  their  mistaken  theology,  he  was  pointing 
out  the  position,  and  connexions,  of  the  mediatorial  institute. 

The  rigid  sectarian,  who  has  diverged  so  far  from  the 
simplicity  of  moral  philosophy,  as  to  mistake  the  scriptural 
argument  in  relation  to  human  ability,  never  meets  the 
terms  can,  or  cannot,  in  the  scriptures,  without  imagining 
that  they  afford  full  proof  of  his  dogma.  And  perhaps  the 
general  impression  is  in  his  favor.  Let  us  quote  some  ex- 
amples of  its  use.  "  How  canst  thou  say  to  thy  brother,  let 
me  cast  the  mote  out  of  thine  eye  ?  Ye  cannot  drink  the 
cup  of  the  Lord,  and  the  cup  of  devils. — If  this  cup  cannot 
pass  from  me,  unless  I  drink  it.— Christ  could  not  enter  into 
the  city — his  disciples  could  not  eat  bread. — Christ  could  not 
do  many  mighty  works,  because  of  their  unbelief. — How 
can  ye  believe,  who  receive  honor  one  of  another. — How 
can  you,  being  evil,  speak  good  things?"  A  thousand  in- 
stances of  this  kind  can  be  quoted,  and  no  one  will  suppose 
them  to  imply  positive  inability.  Sometimes  an  inconsis- 
tency is  asserted ;  and  at  others  a  breach  of  law  is  merely 
supposed. 

Let  us  select  a  particular  example,  which  is  often  ad- 
duced in  a  very  positive  manner.  "The  carnal  mind,  the 
minding  of  the  flesh,  is  enmity  against  God;  for  it  is  not 
subject  to  the  law  of  God,  neither  indeed  can  be."  Now 
this  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  inability  of  man  to  believe 
the  gospel,  considered  simply  as  a  moral  agent.  The  as- 
sertion is  applied  to  him,  in  view  of  certain  circumstances 
which  are  stated.  He  is  supposed  to  be  minding  the  things 
of  the  flesh,  or  giving  his  affections  and  time  to  worldly 
pursuits  and  pleasures.  The  mind,  thus  employed,  cannot 
obey  God;  but  is  engaged  in  actual  rebellion  against  him. 
The  redeemer  has  paraphrased  this  matter  thus-^-"  No  man 
26* 


306 


LECTURES  ON 


can  serve  two  masters:  for  either  he  will  hate  the  one,  and 
love  the  other;  or  else  he  will  hold  to  the  one,  and  despise 
the  other.  Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  mammon."  "  Doth 
a  fountain,"  says  James,  "send  forth,  at  the  same  place, 
sweet  water  and  bitter?  Can  the  fig-tree  bear  olive  berries? 
Either  a  vine  figs?"  Surely,  all  this  is  plain  enough:  and 
no  one  can  suppose  it  to  follow,  that  because  a  man  cannot 
serve  God  and  mammon,  therefore,  he  cannot  abandon  mam- 
mon and  serve  God.  Because  a  man  cannot  see  in  the  dark, 
it  does  not  follow  that  he  cannot  see  in  the  light. 

It  appears,  from  the  whole  survey  of  God's  works,  that 
he  exerts  an  agency,  which  can  be  distinctly  recognized 
and  which  always  adjusts  itself  to  the  nature  and  capacities 
of  the  creatures,  which  it  sustains.  Such  is  the  fact,  physi- 
cally, intellectually,  and  morally  considered.  Of  course, 
terms  may  be  employed,  which  may  be  respectively  applied, 
either  to  the  creature  or  to  the  creator,  according  as  the 
agency  of  the  one  or  the  other  is  intended  to  be  expressed. 
If,  in  relation  to  the  subject  before  us,  we  shall  suppose  regene- 
ration, new  creation,  being  born  again,  and  such  like  terms 
and  phrases,  to  belong  to  the  divine  agency ;  then  faith  and  re- 
pentance, thought  and  feeling,  principle  and  action,  may  be 
as  safely  predicated  of  human  effort.  The  foregoing  argu- 
ment has  been  constructed,  under  this  impression;  and  our 
subject  has  been  involved  in  no  confusion,  but  stands  out 
fairly  and  prominently,  preserving  simply  its  own  identity. 

It  is  now  time  that  this  discussion  should  be  concluded; 
and  I  shall  close  it  by  simply  stating  a  case,  which  shall  be 
the  strongest  I  can  find.  Saul  of  Tarsus  was  converted 
from  his  persecuting  purposes,  and  enlisted  in  the  support 
of  the  great  cause  he  had  been  attempting  to  overthrow. 
His  history  is  supposed  not  only  to  exhibit  more  power  than 
my  doctrine  has  conceded;  but  to  be  a  good  sample  of  Je- 
hovah's ordinary  proceedings,  in  bringing  sinners  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth.  I  remark  concerning  it,  1.  That  it 
occurred  in  the  age  of  miracles.  The  new  dispensation  was 
established  by  such  exhibitions  of  divine  power;  and  men 
were  thereby  convinced  of  the  truth  of  Christ's  pretensions 
as  mediator.  Hundreds  of  others  had  been  in  like  manner 
convinced.  No  one  can  calculate  on  such  a  peculiar  inter- 
ference now,  for  the  new  dispensation  has  been  long  since 
established.  2.  Paul  was,  by  this  means,  professedly  called 
to  the  apostleship.  Again,  the  case  is  lifted  above  the  or- 
dinary occurrences  of  our  own  times ;  is  exhibited  as  belong- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  307 

ing  to  that  peculiar  age ;  and  is  to  be  interpreted  on  official 
principles.  3.  No  man  appears  more  conscious  of  per- 
sonal responsibility ;  nor  has  any  one  ever  manifested  a 
deeper  solicitude  to  fulfil  its  claims.  He  studied  closely  ; 
thought  profoundly;  labored  industriously ;  and  closed  his 
life,  rejoicing  in  the  testimony  of  a  good  conscience.  Had 
he  not  done  so,  notwithstanding  the  extraordinary  circum- 
stances which  roused  his  spirit  to  thought  and  action,  he 
might  have  preached  the  gospel  to  others,  and  have  been  a 
cast-a- way  himself;  or,  like  Balaam,,  he  would  have  sunk 
into  perdition,  unsanctified  by  his  official  honors.  This 
case,  therefore,  offers  no  opposition  to  the  doctrine  ad- 
vanced, but  lends  all  its  influence  to  establish  and  maintain 
the  principles  I  have  advocated,  and  sheds  all  its  glories 
upon  the  dignified  theme — personal  responsibility. 


LECTURE    XIII. 

Reason  why  Jehovah  sent  our  first  parents  out  of  Eden. —  The 
principle  of  Labor. — Jewish  Laws. — Provisions  for  the 
Poor. — New  Testament  regulations. — Origin  and  evil  of 
Public  Charities. — State  of  Society. — Remedies. — Eccle- 
siastical mistakes. —  General  conclusions. 

The  new  constitution,  so  precisely  suited  to  man,  as  per- 
sonally responsible,  having  been  announced,  the  Lord  God 
turned  our  first  parents  out  of  the  garden,  which  he  had 
planted  for  them;  and  which  had  become  the  scene  of  their 
crime  and  shame.  Why  did  he  do  so?  Why  did  he  not 
suffer  them  to  remain  and  enjoy  its  beauties  and  its  fruits? 
Was  not  this  step  unnecessarily  severe?  These  questions 
merit  a  deliberate  answer;  and  that  answer  may  require  not 
a  little  consideration. 

The  historian  represents  Jehovah  as  tenderly  commise- 
rating the  situation,  in  which  these  unhappy  beings  had  in- 
volved themselves  by  sin;  and  assigning  their  ejectment 
from  paradise  to  the  same  general  cause. — "  And  the  Lord 
God  said,  Behold  the  man  is  become  as  one  of  us,  to  know 
good  and  evil.  And  now,  lest  he  put  forth  his  hand,  and 
take  also  of  the  tree  of  life,  and  eat,  and  live  forever;  there- 


308  LECTURES  ON 

fore  the  Lord  God  sent  him  forth  from  the  garden  of  Eden 
to  till  the  ground  from  whence  he  was  taken."  As  Adam 
had  brought  himself  into  the  condition  of  the  know- 
ledge of  good  and  evil,  by  eating  of  the  forbidden  fruit,  he 
might  still  continue  to  eat  of  the  trees  of  the  garden — and 
might  so  live  forever.  To  prevent  his  thus  living  forever, 
he  was  driven  to  till  the  ground  whence  he  had  been  taken. 

The  reason  seems  to  be  sufficient.  But  the  question  is, 
what  is  really  meant  by  it?  Are  we  to  suppose,  that  if  Adam 
had  eaten  of  the  trees  of  life,  he  would  have  lived  forever, 
and  have  never  diedl  Perhaps  the  generality  of  readers 
have  taken  up  this  very  impression,  and  do  in  fact  suppose 
that,  by  these  means,  he  would  have  escaped  death.  Nor  is 
it  easy  to  see  how  any  one,  from  the  first  view  of  the  case, 
could  avoid  entertaining  that  idea.  But  is  it  not  strange 
that  Adam  himself  never  thought  of  this  expedient — at  least 
so  far  as  the  narrative  reports  ?  Instead  of  sewing  fig-leaves 
together,  he  might,  if  he  did  not,  have  resorted  to  this  sim- 
ple and  better  remedy.  Is  it  not  strange  that  Satan  never 
suggested  it?  And  stranger  still,  that  Jehovah  should  have 
prevented  it,  when  he  was  professedly  stating  the  outlines 
of  a  remedial  plan?  That  he  should  have  excluded  Adam 
from  the  means  of  living  forever,  when  the  very  object  of 
Christ's  death  and  resurrection  is  to  bring  in  eternal  life? — 
This  view,  arising  so  directly  from  the  appearance  which 
the  narrative  gives  to  the  fact,  cannot  be  sustained. 

Moreover,  the  physical  agency,  by  which  death  was 
brought  in,  was  the  ground,  as  cursed.  The  tree  of  life,  if 
such  a  particular  tree  there  was,  must  have  been  material  in 
its  own  nature;  and  consequently,  being  subject  to  the  dele- 
terious influence,  under  which  all  material  things  change 
and  wither,  it  was  liable  to  decay.  How  could  it,  while 
under  the  general  sentence  which  followed  Adam's  sin,  be 
the  means  of  imparting  everlasting  life  to  him  ?  The  idea 
is  manifestly  most  incongruous. — there  is  nothing,  in  any 
form,  plausible  about  it.* 

It  has  farther  been  supposed,  that  though  Adam,  by  eat- 
ing of  the  trees  of  life,  would  have  lived  forever,  yet  he 
would  have  led  a  life  of  misery.  But  from  what  source 
would  this  misery  have  proceeded  ?  That  source  must  have 
been  external  or  internal.  If  the  first,  in  what  way  could 
external  things  affect  an  immortal  being?  Could  they  inflict 
disease?     Could  they  make  him  feel  the  sensation  of  want  ? 

*  Lecture  VII. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  309 

Could  they  occasion  any  alarms?  If  internal,  then  what 
would  his  misery  be  ?  Not  disease — for  disease  is  the 
working  of  death;  disease  could  make  no  impression  upon 
his  immortal,  imperishable,  frame.  Would  it  be  a  sense  of 
guilt  ?  Then  this  living  forever,  would  be  only  temporal 
life;  and  where,  when,  and  how,  has  spiritual  life,  which 
theologians  carry  in  their  speculations  up  to  this  very  point, 
been  dropped  from  their  thoughts?  So  then  he  would  live 
forever,  while  he  was  spiritually  dead,  and  as  the  conse- 
quence of  eating  of  the  tree  of  life!  i.  e.  According  to  their 
doctrine,  the  consequence  of  Adam's  eating  of  the  forbid- 
den fruit  was  temporal,  spiritual,  and  eternal  death;  the 
narrative  states  that  the  sentence  of  death  was  passed;  but, 
it  is  supposed,  that  eating  of  the  trees  of  life  would  have 
controlled  the  sentence,  and  man  should  not  have  died ;  if  his 
eating  of  the  trees  of  life  would  have  controlled  the  effects 
of  his  eating  the  forbidden  fruit,  the  consequence  of  eating 
the  forbidden  fruit  could  not  have  been  death  temporal, 
spiritual  and  eternal ;  or  the  consequence  of  his  eating  of 
the  trees  of  life  would  be  life,  temporal,  spiritual,  and  eter- 
nal. No  sense  of  guilt  could  exist  in  the  case,  and  the  ac- 
count of  the  fall  is  a  mere  fable. 

The  truth  is,  that  this  whole  matter  turns  upon  the  force 
of  the  original  word,  rendered  forever.  Now  this  word, 
as  formerly  observed,  may  signify  endless  duration  ;  but  it 
does  not  necessarily  do  so.  It  is  as  often  finite,  as  it  is  infi- 
nite, when  used  by  the  scriptural  writers;  and  it  implies  a 
duration  which  is  not  known,  but  may  be  longer  or  shorter, 
according  to  the  nature  of  the  particular  subject  to  which  it 
is  applied.  To  repeat  the  examples  already  adduced.  If  a 
hebrew  servant  did  not  wish  to  "go  out  free/'  his  master 
was  required  to  bring  him  to  the  judges,  and  to  the  door 
post,  and  to  bore  his  ear  through  with  an  awl ;  which  being- 
done,  he  became  a  servant  forever.  So  Hannah  proposed 
to  bring  her  child  Samuel  to  the  temple,  that  he  might  ap- 
pear before  the  Lord,  and  there  abide  forever.  The  pass- 
over  was  established  as  an  everlasting  memorial : — '  You 
shall  keep  it,"  said  Jehovah,  "  a  feast  to  the  Lord  through- 
out your  generations;  you  shall  keep  it  a  feast,  by  an  ordi- 
nance, forever."  In  tiie  case  before  us,  as  in  that  of  the 
hebrew  servant,  the  term  is  simply  applied  to  the  duration  of 
a  man's  life.  Adam  was  driven  from  the  garden,  to  prevent 
him  from  spending  his  life,  in  eating  of  the  fruit  of  the  trees 
of  life;  and  he  was  sent  out  to  till  the  ground  whence  he  had 


310  LECTURES  ON 

been  taken.  The  term  forever,  and  the  circumstances  of 
the  case,  call  for  nothing  more :  and  this  interpretation 
leaves  the  whole  matter  plain  and  unembarrassed.* 

The  Lord  had  just  informed  Adam,  that  in  consequence 
of  his  sin,  he  had  forfeited  his  peculiar  privileges  ;   that  he 
was  now  destined  to  a  life  of  labor;  that  he  should  from 
henceforth  obtain  his  bread  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow  ;   and 
that  the  earth  would  bring  forth  briars  and  thorns  unto  him, 
which  would  occasion  much  toil  and  sorrow.     This  would 
certainly  be  any  thing  but  an  agreeable  prospect,  to  one  who 
had  been  accustomed  to  better  things;  and  he  would  very 
naturally  prefer  to  live  on  the  fruit  of  the  trees  of  life,  grow- 
ing luxuriantly  and  spontaneously  ;  rather  than  to  eat  the 
herb  of  the  field,  which  was  to  be  the  product  of  his  own  la- 
bor.    Jehovah  therefore  interferes,  and  puts  him  directly  un- 
der the  necessities  of  the  condition  to  which  he  had  reduc- 
ed himself;  breaks  up  all  those   associations  which  could 
now  lead  only  to  indolent  and  hurtful  indulgence,  and  sends 
him  forth  to  work.  Thus  was  established  the  operative  system, 
which  has  referred  the  means  of  human  subsistence  to  human 
labor  ;  a  system  which  must  be  perpetuated  with  all  the  com- 
ing generations  of  mankind  ;  and  which  shall  be  as  steadfastly 
kept  up  as  the  sup  in  his  course.  Labor,  or  starvation,  is  the 
simple  alternative.  There  is  no  escaping  from  it ;  there  is  no 
modifying  it ;  there  is  no  putting  forth  the  hand  to  pluck  the 
fruit  of  the  trees  of  life;   nor  can  the  experiment  of  a  differ- 
ent system  be  tiied  in  any  form,  without  inflicting  an  injury 
upon  individuals  and  upon  society — an  injury  which  will  be 
felt  to  the  whole  extent  of  the  experiment.     Here  is  the  first 
principle  of  political  economy  ;  and  the  true  and  only  reme- 
dy for  the  immense  evils  of  pauperism,  which  no  effectual 
method  has  yet  been  devised  to  arrest. — This  principle,  I 
now  propose  to  consider  at  large,  and  in  its  various  bearings 
on  society  :   as  such  a  discussion  may,  perhaps,  be  the  very 
best  form  in  which  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God  to  man, 
in  removing  him  from  Eden,  may  be  made  to  appear;  while 
at  the  same  time,  the  doctrine  of  personal  responsibility  will 
be  still  farther  illustrated. 

Under  the  Jewish  polity,  this  same  system  was  made  the 
basis  of  all  the  political  regulations,  which  Moses,  by  the 
divine  appointment,  enacted.  There  were  many  statutes 
then  enforced,  which  may  appear  to  a  modern  reader  very 
singular,  perhaps,  even  objectionable,  and  which  are  alto- 
gether inappropriate  now.     But  circumstances  have  been 

•Lecture  VI.     Kennicott's  Dissertation  on  the  Tree  of  Life. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  311 

very  much  altered ;  society,  then  young  and  immature,  has 
now  arrived  at  full  age  :  bondage  and  minority  have  been 
exchanged  for  liberty  and  manhood:  and  of  course,  the  ex- 
ternal policy,  which  must  be  sustained  in  view  of  the  pre- 
sent condition  of  mankind,  is  necessarily  different  from  that 
which  any  legislator  could  then  have  adopted.  Still  the  ge- 
neral principles,  which  belong  to  the  intellectual  and  animal 
natures  of  man,  must  be  essentially  the  same;  and  Moses 
regarded  nothing  with  a  more  careful  eye,  than  he  did  the 
indissoluble  connexion  between  human  labor  and  human 
subsistence  ;  which  God  established  on  that  eventful  day, 
when  he  sent  our  first  parents  from  the  garden. 

Moses  did  not  forget  the  poor,  or  push  the  system  so  far 
as  to  disregard  the  emergencies  which  are  continually  occur- 
ring ;  and  under  which  a  fellow  man  might  "fall  into  decay" — 
as  he  expresses  it.  His  code  has  specified  several  provisions, 
by  which  the  poor  might  be  relieved  from   any  present  dis- 
tress;  but  they  seem  to  have  been  intended  rather  to  pre- 
serve, than  to  set  aside  the  original  system,  with  Which  the 
mediator  commenced  his  administration.     They  are  such  as 
follow — "when  ye  reap  the  harvest  of  the  land,  thou  shalt 
not  wholly  reap  the  corners  of  thy  field,  neither  shalt  thou 
gather  the  gleanings  of  thy  harvest.     And  thou  shalt  not 
glean  thy  vineyard,  neither  shalt  thou  gather  every  grape  of 
thy  vineyard  ;  thou  shalt  leave  them  for  the  poor  and  stran- 
ger."*     "Six  years  thou  shalt  sow  thy  land,  and  shalt  gather 
in  the  fruits  thereof.     But  the  seventh  year  thou  shalt  let  it 
rest  and  lie  still;  that  the  poor  of  thy  people  may  eat:  and 
what  they  leave,  the  beasts  of  the  field  shall  eat.      In  like 
manner  thou  shalt  deal  with  thy  vineyard  and  oliveyard."t 
The  poor  then  had  the  seventh  year — they  had  the  cor- 
ners of  the  field — the  gleanings  of  the  field,  of  the  vineyard, 
and  of  the  oliveyard.     What  was  thus  to  be  acquired,  called 
for  their  own  labor  ;   and  was  not  a  simple  gratuity,  bestowed 
upon  the  idle  and  dissolute.     Neither  was  the  labor  compul- 
sory, any  farther  than  the  actual  necessities  of  life  made  it 
so  ; — a  sort  of  compulsion,  which,  by  the  laws  of  his  own 
being,  every  man  should  feel,  and  ought  to  feel.     But  it  was 
not  the  compulsion  of  law.     Every  thing  was  left  to  the 
moral  force  of  the  individual  character  of  the  poor.     The 
supply  which  was  thus  afforded,  did  most  sacredly  regard 
their  character,  and  was  intended  to  cherish  it,  as  far  as  the 
nature  of  the  case  would  allow.     Nor  yet  was  the  provision 

*  Lev.  xix.  9—11.  t  Exod.  xxiii.  10,  11. 


312  LECTURES  ON 

thus  made,  of  a  public  description  furnishing  a  protracted 
series  of  degrading  statistics,  and  handing  down  from  age 
to  age  the  palsying  records  of  a  public  establishment.  Every 
man  was  the  almoner  of  his  own  bounty,  the  trustee  of  his 
own  charity ;  and  the  poor,  who  gleaned  in  his  fields  and 
vineyards  and  oliveyards,  gathered  by  their  own  labor  what- 
ever they  could,  thinking  of,  dreading,  feeling.no  public  ex- 
posure. In  all  this  there  was  no  degradation  of  the  poor; 
no  depressing  them  in  their  own  esteem  ;  no  unfeeling  at- 
traction of  the  public  eye  to  their  condition  ;  no  dissolving 
of  the  ties  which  bound  them  to  society;  no  breaking  up  of 
the  mutual  sympathies,  which  resulted  from  their  being  bre- 
thren, and  enjoying  a  common  heritage;  but  relief  was  af- 
forded in  the  safest,  the  most  humane  and  honorable  man- 
ner. Or  if  it  may  be  supposed  that  any  degradation  was 
experienced  by  these  eleemosynary  provisions,  yet  they  are 
evidently  designed  to  make  that  degradation  as  light,  and  to 
counteract  it  as  far,  as  possible; — by  calling  out,  on  the  part 
of  the  poor,  whatever  character  they  had,  and  taking  from 
the  bounty  itself",  much  of  the  appearance  of  a  gratuity:  and 
by,  not  only  securing  to  the  poor  the  heart-felt  sympathies 
of  their  brethren,  but  taking  care  that  those  sympathies 
should  not  run  riot,  and  become  the  mere  ebullitions  of  un- 
disciplined feeling.  The  question  of  almsgiving  was  thus 
put  into  all  its  moral  connexions;  and  the  almoner  had 
something  more  to  do,  than  merely  to  shed  a  tear  and  give  a 
mite.  The  poor  man  was  his  neighbor,  became  his  com- 
panion, and  might  be  courted  as  his  fellow  traveller  to  eter- 
nity.    He  is  thy  brother,  said  Moses. 

Among  the  hebrews,  it  was  a  custom  to  tithe  all  the  in- 
crease of  their  seed  ;  to  go  up  to  the  place  where  the 
Lord  had  chosen  to  put  his  name  ;  and  to  eat  before  the 
Lord.  They  carried  thither  the  tithe  of  their  corn,  of  their 
wine,  of  their  oil,  and  of  the  firstlings  of  their  herds,  and  of 
their  flocks.  Or  if  they  thought  the  way  too  long,  or  found 
it  very  inconvenient  do  carry  up  their  tithe,  to  the  chosen 
place,  they  were  at  liberty  to  sell  their  tithe  ;  and  tak- 
ing the  money,  they  might,  on  the  spot,  buy  whatsoever  their 
soul  lusted  after,  oxen,  sheep,  wine,  strong  drink,  or  whatever 
they  desired — and  feast  with  their  households  before  the  Lord. 
On  these  great  festivals  they  were  not  to  forget  the  levite, 
who  had  no  inheritance  among  them,  nor  the  stranger,*  nor 

•This  term  stranger,  included  the  poor,  Levit.  xxv.  35. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  313 

the  fatherless,  nor  the  widow.*     This  was  another  provision 
in  behalf  of  the  poor,  which  was  calculated  to  affect  their 
character  and  standing  in  the  community,  in  a  very  favora- 
ble manner.     It  preserved  their  brotherhood,  and  prevented 
their  sinking  into  disgrace  ;  it  stimulated   them  to   action, 
and  cherished  their  most  honorable  feelings  ;  it  hushed  their 
complaints,  and  awakened  their  best  affections;  it  tutored 
even  the  orphan  in  social  virtue,  by  extending  the  fostering 
care  of  a  kind  parentage,  and  prepared  him,  not  only  to  dis- 
play the  most  enthusiastic  patriotism,  but  the  most  filial  re- 
gard to  the  religious  institutions  of  the  land.  Politically  and 
morally  considered,  it  must  ever  be  a  most  disastrous  occur- 
rence, when  the  poor  are  cut  off  from  their,  interest  in  the 
state,  or  from  the  friendships  and  great  social  movements  of 
the  community  to  which  they  belong.     They  grow,  in  such 
a  case,  into  a  distinct,   independent,  and  degraded  class; 
and  they  acquire   an  anomalous  character,  which  fits  them 
to  commit  depredations  on  society,  or  prepares  them  to  ex- 
ecute a  despot's  will.   Moses  wisely  prevented  all  this;  and 
by  preserving  them  in  their  political  and  moral  standing,  as 
an  integral  part  of  society,  he  secured  all  their  feelings  and 
efforts  in  harmony  with  the  general  weal.     His  statute  was 
founded  on  principles  of  a  fine   moral   cast,  which  the  re- 
deemer himself  distinctly  recognised,  when  he  said — "When 
thou  makest  a  supper  or  a  dinner,  call  not  thy  friends,  nor 
thy  brethren,  neither  thy  kinsmen,  nor  thy  rich  neighbors  ; 
lest  they  also  bid  thee  again,  and  a  recompense  be  made 
thee.     But  when  thou   makest  a  feast,  call  the   poor,  the 
maimed,  the  lame,  the  blind ;  and  thou  shalt  be  blessed,  for 
they  cannot  recompense  thee  :  for  thou  shalt  be  recompens- 
ed at  the  resurrection  of  the  just. "f 

Moses  farther  provided  for  the  poor,  by  requiring  that 
their  wages  should  be  faithfully  and  promptly  paid  :  by  af- 
fording them  every  facility  to  redeem  their  land  when  it  was 
sold;  and  by  liberally  assisting  them  when  they  were  re- 
duced to  want ;  i.  e.  the  poor  must  not  be  oppressed  or  mal- 
treated ;  their  hardships  must  not  be  cruelly  increased  ;  but 
rather  they  themselves  must  be  sustained  and  helped.  "Thou 
shalt  not,"  said  this  lawgiver,  "harden  thy  heart,  nor  shut  thine 
hand  from  thy  poor  brother;  but  thou  shalt  open  thine  hand 
wide  unto  him,  and  shalt  surely  lend  him  sufficient  for  his  need, 
in  that  which  he  "wanteth.  Beware  that  there  be  not  a 
thought  in  thy  wicked  heart,  saying, — the  seventh  year,  the 

*  Deut.  xiv.  22—29 .  f  Luke  xiv.  12—14. 

27 


314  LECTURES  ON 

year  of  release,  is  at  hand  ;  and  thy  eye  be  evil  against  thy 
poor  brother,  and  thou  givest  him  nought."  This  assistance 
was  to  be  afforded  by  lending  to  the  poor,  according  to  their 
necessity,  and  was  to  be  extended  cheerfully  and  with  all 
integrity.  It  was  not  a  public  charity,  but  a  matter  of  pri- 
vate concern,  by  which  a  sufferer  was  enabled  to  meet  some 
emergency,  without  any  sacrifice  of  character. 

It  is  true,  Moses  had  no  beggars,  as  they  are  now  termed, 
to  provide  for.  Indeed,  says  Michaelis, — "If  we  trace  back 
the  history  of  most  nations,  to  their  ancient  state  of  general 
poverty,  we  shall  find,  the  farther  we  go  back,  that  beggars 
more  and  more  decrease,  until  they  almost  entirely  disap- 
pear in  statu  natures.  Perhaps,  instead  of  them,  we  may  oc- 
casionally meet  with  an  account  of  some  brave  man,  who, 
by  the  labor  of  his  hands,  could  scarcely  earn  bread  enough 
for  himself  and  his  children  ;  and  who  actually  was  under  the 
apprehension  of  starving,  when,  to  save  his  country,  he 
was  called  from  the  plough  to  the  dictatorship."*  All  this 
is  to  be  accounted  for,  on  the  one  hand,  by  that  vigor  of  in- 
dividual character,  whose  force  and  delicacy  Moses  seemed 
to  be  so  anxious  to  preserve ;  and  on  the  other,  by  the  ab- 
sence of  those  public  charities,  which  have  corrupted  the 
poor,  without  relieving  them.  The  mosaic  law  comes  in  as 
a  commentary  on  the  general  statute,  given  at  first ;  and 
which  made  the  means  of  subsistence  to  depend  on  human 
labor. 

In  the  new  testament,  our  subject  is  presented  in  the  same 
general  form  ;  and  the  principles  which  belong  to  it  are  very 
briefly,  but  very  distinctly,  stated.  "The  laborer"  is  empha- 
tically declared  to  be  "worthy  of  his  hire;"  and  the  with- 
holding of  it  is  very  severely  reprehended.  "Behold,"  says 
James,  "the  hire  of  the  laborors,  which  have  reaped  down 
your  fields,  which  is  of  you  kept  back  by  fraud,  crieth ;  and 
the  cries  of  them  which  have  reaped  are  entered  into  the 
ears  of  the  Lord  of  Sabaoth." — The  necessity  for  labor  is 
declared  with  equal  point :  and  the  neglect  of  it  is  condemn- 
ed with  equal  severity: — "For  even  when  we  were  with  you," 
said  Paul,  "this  we  commanded  you,  that  if  any  man  would 
not  work,  neither  should  he  eat.  For  we  hear  that  there 
are  some  who  walk  among  you  disorderly,  working  not  at  all, 
but  are  busy  bodies.  Now  them  that  are  such,  we  command 
and  exhort  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  with  quietness 
they  work,  and  eat  their  own  bread."!     And  again, — "But 

*  Comment,  art.  142.  f  2.  Thess.  iii.  10—12. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  315 

if  any  provide  not  for  his  own,  and  especially  for  those  of 
his  own  house,  he  hath  denied  the  faith,  and  is  worse  than 
an  infidel. "*  Christianity,  therefore,  is,  in  this  respect,  the 
same  now  that  it  was  when  the  seed  of  the  woman  was 
promised,  and  man  was  sent  forth  to  till  the  ground  whence 
he  was  taken. 

Legislation  for  the  poor  has  not  been  forgotten  by  the 
apostles,  as  is  very  evident  from  a  great  variety  of  facts, 
which  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  repeat.  Paul,  speaking  of 
the  reception  he  had  met  with  from  Peter,  James  and  John, 
remarks, — "Only  they  would  that  we  should  remember  the 
poor;  the  same  which  I  also  was  forward  to  do."  It  was  no 
uncommon  thing  to  have  collections  made  by  the  churches, 
for  the  relief  of  the  poor;  and  though  Paul  sanctioned  and 
directed  them,  yet  he  seems  to  have  his  own  fears  of  the 
consequences,  and  appeared  very  anxious  that  this  species 
of  public  charity  should  be  confined  to  those  who  are 
"widows  indeed."  In  writing  to  Timothy,  he  directs, — "If 
any  widow  have  children  or  nephews,  let  them  learn  first 
to  show  piety  at  home,  and  to  requite  their  parents  ;  for  that 
is  good  and  acceptable  before  God."t  And  again, — "  If  any 
man  or  woman  that  believeth  have  widows,  let  them  relieve 
them,  and  let  not  the  church  be  charged:  that  it  may  relieve 
them  that  are  widows  indeed."!  Had  these  rules  been  duly 
regarded,  and  had  their  philosophy  been  understood,  the 
state  and  the  church  might  have  been  saved  at  this  time  a 
thousand  evils,  under  which  they  are  ineffectually,  but 
loudly,  complaining. 

The  master  himself,  in  correcting  the  many  abuses  which 
he  detected  in  his  own  house,  reproved  the  pharisees,  be- 
cause they  taught  that  a  man  might  take  that  portion  of  his 
substance,  with  which  he  should  have  supported  an  aged 
father  or  mother,  and. present  it  as  a  gift  to  the  sanctuary. 
Such  offerings  were  not  acceptable  in  God's  sight.  When,  at 
another  time,  he  discovered  the  pharisees,  distributing  their 
alms  in  the  most  public  and  ostentatious  manner,  he  des- 
cribed them  as  a  set  of  hypocrites,  and  took  occasion  to  lay 
down  this  general  rule, — "  When  thou  doest  alms,  let  not 
thy  left  hand  know  what  thy  right  hand  doeth ;  that  thine 
alms  may  be  in  secret :  and  thy  Father,  which  seeth  in  secret, 
himself  shall  reward  thee  openly. "§  A  rule  which  has  long 
since  been  forgotten,  and  given  place  to  public  chanties,  so 

*  1  Tim.  v.  8.  1 1  Tim.  v.  4. 

I  Verse  16.  §Mat.  vi.  3,  4. 


316  LECTURES  OS 

extensive  and  splendid,  as  to  leave  the  pharisees  far  out  of 
sight,  and  to  actuate  a  large  class  in  society,  anomalous  in 
character  and  degraded  in  life,  with  which  neither  church 
nor  state  knows  what  to  do. 

It  is  very  evident  that  there  is  nothing  exaggerated  in  the 
preceding  delineation  of  society,  taken  from  the  scriptural 
pages.  The  principles  are  all  plain  and  simple,  carrying 
their  own  evidence  along  with  them,  and  commending  them- 
selves to  every  man's  understanding.  They  are  easily  enu- 
merated.— Every  man  should  support  himself  by  his  own 
labor. — Every  man  should  support  his  own  family  by  his  own 
labor  ;  or  every  family  should  have  in  itself  the  means  of  its 
own  support — Every  poor  man,  who  really  needs  assistance, 
ought  to  have  it,  but  nothing  more  ;  i.  e.  he  must  labor  as 
far  as  he  can. — Every  poor  man  who  has  become  really  dis- 
qualified to  labor,  should  be  sustained  by  others. — This  as- 
sistance, or  support,  must  be  derived  in  the  most  private 
and  considerate  manner  ;  so  that,  while  the  poor  man's  phys- 
ical wants  are  supplied,  his  moral  character  may  not  be  injur- 
ed, or  his  moral  sense  be  impaired  ;  so  that,  when  his  distress 
may  have  passed  by,  he  may  resume  his  own  labor  for  his 
own  support. — This  assistance,  or  support,  should  be  ex- 
tended by  the  poor  man's  immediate  relatives,  family  con- 
nexions, or  personal  friends  ;  or,  in  the  event  of  their  inca- 
pacity, by  his  neighborhood. — None  but  an  extreme  case 
indeed  ought  to  be  referred  even  to  the  church. — Public 
establishments,  set  up  by  law,  can  do  nothing  but  mischief, 
for  it  is  impossible  that  they  should  not,  sooner  or  later,  and 
to  the  whole  extent  of  their  means,  interfere  with  all  the 
principles  of  human  society. 

These  views,  which  commend  themselves  to  every  man, 
are  in  actual  operation  now.  They  always  have  been,  and 
always  must  be,  in  operation.  And  up  to  this  point  many 
of  the  poor  do  help  themselves,  rise  above  their  difficulties, 
and  command  respect  and  confidence.  But  beyond  this 
point,  whenever  private  benevolence  becomes  indiscrimi- 
nate, and  disregards  the  essential  principle  of  human  sub- 
sistence, and  public  charities  begin  to  display  themselves, 
a  new  condition  of  society  supervenes  ;  and  an  unsuspected 
evil  is  betrayed,  which  quickly  demands  an  extension  of 
these  charities.  These  charities  are  extended,  and  the  evil 
soon  overtakes  and  goes  beyond  them,  and  loudly  calls  for 
more.  It  fastens  itself  on  the  body  politic,  like  a  horse- 
leach,  crying,  give,  give.     Such  is  pauperism  and  its  history. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  317 

The  ancient  monastic  institutions,  says  Blackstone,  "sup- 
ported and  fed  a  very  numerous  and  very  idle  poor,  whose 
sustenance  depended  on  what  was  daily  distributed  in  alms 
at  the  gates  of  the  religious  houses.  But,  upon  the  total 
dissolution  of  these,  the  inconvenience,  of  thus  encouraging 
the  poor  in  habits  of  indolence  and  beggary,  was  quickly  felt 
throughout  the  kingdom  ;  and  abundance  of  statutes  were 
made  in  the  reign  of  king  Henry  the  eighth,  for  providing 
for  the  poor  and  impotent ;  which,  the  preambles  to  some 
of  them  recite,  had  of  late  years  strangely  increased."* 
Almshouses,  hospitals,  parish  allowances,  or  poor  rates,  fol- 
lowed ;  to  which  have  been  added  work-houses,  or  houses 
of  industry,  and  charitable  societies  without  end. 

The  provisions  which  have  been  made  to  relieve  these 
hordes  of  paupers,  have  all  originated  in  the  most  benevo- 
lent feelings,  both  on  the  part  of  individuals,  and  on  that  of 
the  different  legislatures.  But  as  church  and  state  were 
blended  together,  the  ecclesiastical  ideas,  which  gave  rise  to 
the  monastic  institutions,  and  which  had  made  almsgiving 
a  very  important  item  in  preparation  for  heaven,  not  only 
pervaded  the  general  mind,  but  they  were  carried  into  the 
councils  of  the  nation.  Thus  that,  which  had  been  one  of 
the  very'worst  effects  of  the  monasteries,  was  reproduced 
by  the  royal  prerogative  ;  and  stalked  forth  in  giant  form  ; 
having  exchanged  its  ecclesiastical  habiliments  for  the  civil- 
ian's gown.  So  we  have  the  evil  now  ;  and  perhaps  not  al- 
together divested  of  the  religious  sentiment,  which  the  Caliph 
Omar  Ebn  Abd'alaziz  has  so  forcefully  expressed — "  Prayer 
carries  us  halfway  to  God,  fasting  brings  us  to  the  door  of 
his  palace,  and  alms  procures  for  us  admission."  After  all, 
let  the  character  of  the  feeling,  in  which  these  institutions 
originated,  be  what  it  may,  yet  the  consequence  has  been 
most  disastrous  ;  not  only  to  society,  but  to  the  poor  them- 
selves.    A  few  extracts  may  confirm  our  statements. 

One  writer  remarks: — "Since  the  poor  laws  were  esta- 
blished, however  humane  and  judicious  in  their  first  institu- 
tion, by  affording  a  certain  provision  for  infancy  and  age,  we 
find  pauperism  has  been  continually  increasing ;  and  that, 
with  growing  wealth,  the  laboring  poor  have  become  more 
and  more  numerous  and  depressed." 

Another  writer  observes — "  Those  most  impolitic  of  all 
impolitic  laws,  were  unquestionably  established  on  princi- 
ples, and  from  motives,  that  do  honor  to  the  feelings  of  the 

*Com.  B.  1.  ch.  9. 

27* 


318  LECTURES  ON 

legislative  body  of  the  time  in  which  they  were  enacted. 
They  were  considered,  not  only  by  those  who  framed  and 
supported  them,  but  by  all  sensible  and  intelligent  people, 
as  the  wisest  and  most  philanthropic  of  human  institutions. 
They  had  for  their  chief  object  the  comfortable  sustenance 
of  those,  who,  feeble  through  age  or  misfortune,  were  ren- 
dered incapable  of  exerting  themselves  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  procure  by  labor  a  sufficient  supply  of  the  necessaries  of 
life,  and  that  by  means  the  most  rational;  namely,  by  com- 
pelling those  who  possessed  none,  or  but  a  small  share,  of 
'  the  milk  of  human  kindness,'  to  contribute  in  an  equal 
proportion  with  those,  who,  from  liberal  and  benevolent  dis- 
positions, would  have  continued  to  do  so  without  legal  com- 
pulsion. It  was  expected  that  the  enacting  of  these  laws 
would  have  had  the  effect  of  introducing  a  spirit  of  industry 
among  the  lower  ranks;  which,  while  it  tended  to  render 
the  operation  of  the  poor  laws  in  a  very  small  degree  bur- 
thensome  to  the  wealthy  part  of  the  community,  would  also 
have  greatly  promoted  the  prosperity  of  the  nation.  But 
how  blind  is  human  foresight,  and  how  imperfect  all  human 
institutions!  These  laws,  from  the  establishment  of  which 
so  many  happy  effects  were  expected  to  result,  have  tended 
to  consequences  of  the  most  alarming  nature ;  conse- 
quences, which,  if  effectual  measures  are  not  speedily  taken 
to  avert  them,  may,  and  probably  will,  end  in  universal  ruin. 
"  It  is  added,  that,  notwithstanding  the  enormous  assess- 
ments to  which  the  poor  laws  gave  rise,  they  are  by  no 
means  attended  with  the  advantages  which  were  expected. 
In  place  of  tending  to  improve  the  morals,  or  increase  the 
industry  of  the  poor,  they  have  had  quite  a  contrary  effect. 
It  was  but  a  short  time  after  the  enactment  of  these  laws, 
that  the  public  were  insulted  with  the  famous  song  of, 

{  Hang  sorrow,  cast  away  care, 
The  parish  is  bound  to  maintain  us.' 

And  how  much  this  sentiment  seems  to  be  impressed  on 
the  minds  of  the  generality  of  that  description  of  people, 
for  whose  benefit  these  laws  were  framed,  is  well  known  to 
all  who  live  under  their  influence.  They  require  not  to  be 
reminded  how  necessary  it  is  become  to  endeavor,  by  every 
possible  means,  to  curb  that  spirit  of  licentiousness,  which 
so  generally  reigns  within  the  walls  of  a  parish  workhouse, 


MORAL  GOVERN  MENT  319 

whence  shame,  honesty  and  pride,  seem  to  be  forever  ban- 
ished."* 

The  details  of  this  subject  are  to  the  last  degree  distress- 
ing and  frightful.  The  rapid  increase  of  the  number  of  this 
portion  of  the  population  ;  the  shame,  and  infamy,  and  dis- 
grace, which  their  crimes  necessarily  produce,  which  no  ex- 
tent of  bounty  can  ever  relieve  ;  but  to  whose  progress,  mul- 
tiplied and  misguided  charities,  both  individual  and  public, 
must  lend  accelerated  force,  might  arouse  the  deepest  slum- 
bers of  the  community. 

But  it  is  no  part  of  our  object  to  go  out  into  these  details. 
Though  they  belong  to  the  general  subject,  yet  we  are  look- 
ing forward  to  a  class  of  conclusions,  which  can  be  sus- 
tained without  such  troublesome  minuteness.  These  shall 
appear  in  their  time.  We  are,  at  present,  merely  preparing 
the  way  for  them. 

The  question  arises,  and  may  be  pressed  with  great  pro- 
priety and  force, — how  is  society  to  be  extricated  from  this 
terrible  labyrinth  ?  And  certainly  the  answer  is  both  near 
and  distinct,  if  our  statements,  taken  from  the  scriptures, 
be  at  all  correct.  There  is  manifestly  neither  discretion  nor 
safety  in  going  on,  guided  by  the  ignis  fatuus  that  has  al- 
ready led  us  so  far  astray.  The  farther  we  go,  the  more 
rapidly  the  evil  will  grow,  and  the  farther  we  may  go.  Every 
additional  society,  intended  to  relieve  the  poor,  will  injure 
the  poor  themselves,  and  add  to  the  burthens  which  are  de- 
clared to  be  already  too  onerous.  To  stand  still,  if  such  a 
thing  could  be  done,  would  be  to  leave  the  evil  as  we  find 
it;  and  yet  the  evil  could  not  remain  stationary,  because  it 
has  its  own  principle  of  amplification,  which  would  ulti- 
mately carry  us  along  with  it.  The  evil  itself  must  be  as- 
sailed— effectually  and  successfully,  and  society  be  brought 
back  under  the  force  of  scriptural  laws.  No  other  remedy 
remains.     But  how  is  that  to  be  done? 

In  attempting  to  answer  a  question  of  this  kind,  it  is  in- 
dispensably necessary  to  ascertain  the  precise  object  in 
view.  The  facts  in  the  case,  all  serve  to  show  that  the  poor 
themselves  have  become  degraded;  their  conscious  feeling 
of  individuality  is  vitiated  or  impaired;  or  their  moral  sense 
is  deadened.  The  great  remedy  is  a  regeneration,  or  a  re- 
viving of  their  moral  sense.  There  is,  therefore,  in  the  po- 
litical object  to  be  achieved,  something  analogous  to  that 
which  the  great  redeemer  himself  is  aiming  to  effect;  and 

*Rees'Encyc.  Art.  Poor. 


320  LECTURES  ON 

the  principles,  on  which  he  calculates  as  remedial,  are  those 
on  which  the  operation  in  view  must  rely.  His  grand  de- 
sign is  to  bring  information,  varied  and  extensive,  furnish- 
ing accurate  views  of  our  moral  condition,  to  bear  upon  the 
human  mind.  At  one  time  he  established  a  great  variety 
of  symbolic  institutions,  and  sent  prophet  after  prophet  to 
enforce  and  illustrate  them.  At  another,  he  affords  his  bible, 
and  organizes  society  under  the  inspection  and  sympathy 
of  numerous  ministerial  helps.  He  makes  every  man  a 
moral  monitor  to  every  other  man  ;  and  calls  upon  all  by  the 
light  of  the  good  works  they  behold,  to  forsake  sin  and  turn 
to  his  commandments.  He  thus  preserves  the  whole  sub- 
ject of  morals,  fairly  and  constantly,  before  our  eyes,  and  pre- 
sides, by  his  Spirit,  and  in  love,  over  the  whole  train  of  in- 
struction thus  imparted  to  us.  By  argument,  by  appeal,  by 
entreaty,  light  is  brought  into  the  understanding,  and  im- 
pressions are  left  upon  the  heart.  His  kingdom  is  thus  set 
up  within  us,  and  the  sinner,  learning  to  act  from  established 
principles  and  rectified  views,  acts  correctly;  and  attains  to 
those  heavenly  associations,  whose  members  have  all  pure 
personal  characters. 

A  like  operation  I  would  commend  in  the  present  case;  and 
on  the  ground,  that  it  will  be  found  as  effectual  as  it  is  con- 
sistent, and  as  practicable  as  it  is  unequivocal.  The  poor 
must  be  enlightened,  that  they  .may  be  able  to  look  at  their 
own  condition,  through  another  and  a  better  medium;  that 
they  may  acquire  higher  motives  and  more  enlarged  views; 
that  they  may  learn  to  multiply  their  own  internal  resources, 
and  cherish  feelings  which  will  be  utterly  irreconcilable  with 
their  present  degradation.  The  community  may  thus  re- 
pose confidence  in  them  ;  as  they  can,  and  do  now,  in  the 
better  classes  of  the  poor,  whose  views  and  feelings  have 
not  fallen  below  the  consideration  of  personal  individuality. 
Education  is  by  far  too  expensive,  and  the  poor  feel  it  to  be 
out  of  their  reach.  An  inequality  is  thus  created;  and  those 
who  cannot  enjoy  early  tuition,  expend  their  minds  on  such 
objects  as  they  meet;  often  reaching  the  extreme  of  vice, 
before  they  have  known  any  thing  of  its  enormity.  Here 
then  the  remedial  operation  must  commence;  and  as  it  pro- 
ceeds, carrying  light  and  liberty  and  love  along  with  it,  a 
regenerating  influence  will  be  felt,  which  will  ultimately  re- 
deem the  whole  class  from  infamy  and  distress.  To  the 
accomplishment  of  this  object,  all  the  energies  of  the  state, 
urged  on  by  the  wise  and  good,  should  be  unweariedly  di- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  321 

rected ;  the  consequences  will  repay  them  for  their  anxiety 
and  toil,  and  rid  them  of  an  evil  which  has  long  been  a  po- 
litical opprobrium. 

We  speak  not  of  pauper  schools,  erected,  either  by  pub- 
lic charities,  or  by  religious  sectaries,  or  by  the  legacies  of 
the  rich.     These  we  have  ever  considered  to  be  of  most 
hurtful  tendency;  though  perhaps  they  may  be  the  best  form 
in  which  a  mere  gratuity  can  be  conferred.     But  still  such 
institutions  treat  the  poor  as  paupers;  and  do  not  fairly  iden- 
tify their  children   as   an  integral  part  of  the  community. 
On    the   contrary,    their   children   grow   up    with    the   very 
associations,    with    the   very    habits  of    thought    and    feel- 
ing,   which    the   remedy    proposed    intends    effectually    to 
destroy.     They  who  get  their  education  as  a  gratuity,  have 
only  to  take  one  step  farther,  and  ask  a  support  as  a  gratu- 
ity.    Lessons  of  independence  cannot  be  taught,  without 
disgusting  the   pupil  with  the   very  institution  from  which 
they  proceed  ;  or,  without  disclosing  to  the  child  the  parent's 
shame,  betrayed  by  the  very  act  of  sending  him  to  school. 
The  influence  of  the   higher  classes  is  not  brought  to  bear 
upon  the  poor,  in  a  manner  calculated  to   elevate  them,  or 
to  cherish  loftiness  of  sentiment ;  but  rather  the  distinction 
is' made  wider,  and  a  depressing  influence  is  exerted;  while 
those  sympathies  of  life  are  withheld,  which  can  be  enjoyed 
only  by  a  living  intercourse.     The   redeemer,  carrying  out 
his  regenerating  plan,  allows  us  the  most  intimate  fellowship 
with  himself,  and  sends  his  Spirit  to  dwell  in  our  bosom. 
The  very  idea  of  communion  with  him  is  calculated  to  ele- 
vate our  thoughts,  and  to  inspire  us  with  lofty  purposes  and 
feelings.     And  in  the  secondary  operation  we  are  recom- 
mending, access  to  the  higher  classes,  familiarity  withthern, 
the    experience    of  their  kindness   and  the  sight  of  their 
smiles,  would  have  the  happiest  effect  upon  the  poor — both 
old  and  young.      Pauper  schools  afford  no  opportunity. for 
such  communion,  and  leave  no  room  for  so  fine  a  display  of 
humanity.     Moses  secured  all  this,  by  his  regulation  of  the 
various  festivals  which  he  enjoined  ;  and  by  the  liberty  which 
he  awarded  to  the  poor,  to  go  and  glean  in  the  fields  of  the 
rich.    On  no  occasion  ought  the  rich  more  distinctly  to  recol- 
lect the  reason  why  Moses  did  this,  than  on  the  establish- 
ment of  schools.     The  poor  man  is  thy  brother. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  here  to  observe,  that  in  the  higher 
remedial  plan,  which  is  carried  out  under  the  superinten- 
dence of  Jehovah,  he  is  fully  and  accurately  informed  on 
the  whole  subject  with  which  his  agency  interferes.     In  like 


322  LECTURES  ON 

manner,  they  who  would  engage  in  the  benevolent  enter- 
prise of  lifting  the  poor  from  their  degradation,  ought  care- 
fully to  investigate  the  subject  they  seek  to  relieve.  But 
unfortunately  it  happens  that  they  who  give,  are  as  little 
aware  of  the  consequences  of  giving,  as  they  who  receive. 
The  community  themselves  do  not  understand  the  principles 
of  pauperism.  They  see  the  evil  only  partially.  They  think 
it  to  be  within  the  compass  of  their  individual  or  social  gra- 
tuities ;  and  are  grievously  disappointed,  when  they  find 
that  their  benevolent  design  has  been  frustrated.  They 
search  a  little  way  for  the. cause,  and  finding  something 
which  seems  to  be  sufficient  to  produce  the  evil  they  inveigh 
against  the  insidious  agent  they  have  detected,  and  so  leave 
the  whole  matter  ;  until  a  periodical  excitement  again  occurs, 
which  again  calls  forth  their  unavailing  complaints ;  and 
seeing  no  alternative,  but  gratuity  or  starvation,  their  own 
feelings  impel  them  still  to  give. 

How  often  has  intemperance,  for  example,  been  declared 
to  be  the  cause  of  pauperism;  and  no  doubt  in  a  multitude 
of  instances  it  has  been  the  fell  destroyer.  But  if  there  was 
no  intemperance,  there  are  other  things,  which  belong  to  this 
subject,  and  which  would  produce  the  whole  evil.  Pauperism 
may  lead  to  intemperance,  as  well  as  that  intemperance  may 
lead  to  pauperism. 

How  often  has  pauperism  been  ascribed  to  bad  and  op- 
pressive government ;  and  a  bad  government  is  certainly  one 
of  the  greatest  of  human  calamities.  But  pauperism  may  be 
engendered  under  any  form  of  government;  and  certainly 
will  follow  a  system  of  legislation  which  enacts  a  code  of 
poor  laws.  It  has  other  resources,  and  is  characterised  by 
its  own  attributes,  which  may  be  fully  displayed  indepen- 
dently of  government. 

Those  principles,  which  are  inherent  in  the  subject, 
whatever  they  may  be,  should  be  fairly  and  fully  canvassed, 
until  both  the  rich  and  poor  should  understand  them  ;  or  any 
effort  which  may  be  made  to  eradicate  the  evil,  would  be 
continually  counteracted  and  thwarted;  and  the  benevolent 
would  again,  as  they  did  after  the  destruction  of  the  mon- 
astic institutions,  seek  the  coercion  of  law,  to  compel 
others  to  assist  in  bearing  the  burdens  they  had  created. 
And  we  conceive  that  there  is  nothing  which  ought  to  be  more 
distinctly  impressed  on  the  public  mind,  than  this  matter  of 
general  education  ;  and  not  education,  simply  considered,  but 
extended,  as  it  ought  to  be,  in  an  honorable  manner ;  so  as 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  323 

to  secure  both  the  intellectual  and  moral  elevation  of  all 
classes.  Again  we  repeat  the  important  lesson  which  Moses 
taught,-— The  poor  man  is  thy  brother. 

A  system  of  education, — by  its  general  character,  as  well 
as  by  the  associations  or  intercourse  it  should  create  among 
the  different  classes  of  society, — would  carry  a  moral  influ- 
ence along  with  it,  and  to  the  whole  extent  of  pauperism. 
Thejmediator,  in  seeking  the  moral  reformation  of  our  race, 
through  the  medium  of  instruction,  sustains  an  operation  of 
love;  nor  is  there  any  thing  which  he  more  intensely  la- 
bors to  impress  upon  the  human  mind,  than  this  very  fact 
that  God  is  good,  and  really  desires  to  promote  our  present 
and  everlasting  welfare.  Such  should  be  the  character  of 
the  enterprise  now  suggested.  The  greatest  benefit  which 
can  be  conferred  on  a  human  being,  is  to  furnish  him,  in  an 
honorable  manner,  with  the  means  of  intellectual  cultivation. 
It  will  be  received  as  an  inestimable  boon  ;  as  the  strongest 
expression  of  kindness  which  could  be  afforded,  and  as  the 
certain  means  of  attaining  whatever  is  within  the  reach  of 
human  effort.  He  who  engages  in  the  undertaking,  feels 
that  he  is  aiming  at  a  magnificent  object,  which  will  absorb 
his  best  affections,  and  carry  a  purifying  influence  to  his 
own  bosoni.  There  is  something  in  the  very  nature  of  the 
operation,  which  necessarily  assimilates  it  to  the  evangelical 
purposes  of  Jehovah;  so  that,  when  it  is  fairly  tried,  it  quick- 
ly develops,  as  wrapped  up  within  itself,  the  principles  of  its 
own  execution.  It  has  a  thousand  adjuvants,  which  are  im- 
mediately called  to  its  aid  ;  and  there  are  a  thousand  unfa- 
vorable circumstances,  which  it  readily  controls,  or  quickly 
removes.  Itstead  of  restraining  the  poor  by  the  presence  of 
power,  it  animates  them  by  the  demonstration  of  love.  It 
substitutes  kindness  for  whips  and  scorpions,  and  the  excite- 
ments of  hope  for  the  shiverings  of  fear.  It  represses  trains 
of  suspicions  and  jealousies,  and  promotes  a  reciprocal  con- 
fidence. It  elicits  whatever  is  good,  and  restrains  the  jar- 
ring passions  of  human  nature,  which  are  ever  ready  to  run 
into  the  extreme  of  licentiousness,  under  the  influence  of 
the  most  vulgar  and  grovelling  temptations.  In  short,  such 
a  general  system  of  education,  confirms  the  various  ties  of 
life,  mingles  heart  with  heart,  and  identifies  the  whole  of 
society  in  the  pursuit  of  common  objects,  and  the  enjoy- 
ment of  common  interests.  AH  the  better  classes  of  society, 
by  their  mutual  respect  and  their  harmonious  operation,  de- 
monstrate the  truth  of  our  remarks ;   and  the  poor,  brought 


324  LECTURES   ON 

under  the  same  influences,  would  stand  regenerated  before 
us,  fitted  for  the  noblest  deeds,  and  stimulated  by  the  purest 
feelings.  Whereas,  on  the  other  hand,  frowns  and. penal- 
ties, which  remove  them  to  a  distance,  degraded  by  igno- 
rance, and  wretched  through  apprehension,  destroy  every 
thing  that  is  noble  in  their  nature,  and  force  them  to  nurse 
their  evil  passions  in  their  own  defence.  The  most  impoli- 
tic of  all  political  measures,  is  to  throw  off  the  poor  from 
our  hearts  and  leave  them  to  vegetate  unregarded,  or  to  feed 
them  upon  charity,  and  punish  them  by  law.  |They  occupy 
a  higher  place  in  the  scale  of  being,  and  are  entitled  to  more 
dignified  consideration. 

But,  if  I  mistake  not,  society  will  throw  many  difficulties 
in  the  way  of  such  a  project.  They  will  apprehend  that  it 
must  necessarily  lead  to  an  indiscriminate  intercourse  between 
the  children  of  the  rich  and  those  of  the  poor;  and  that  the 
tendency  of  such  intercourse  will  be  to  corrupt  the  children 
of  the  better  classes,  by  teaching  them  vulgar  and  profane 
habits.  Such  an  objection  must  necessarily  have  great 
weight,  as  far  as  it  is  believed  to  be  true.  But  the  question 
is,  is  it  true  ?  I  apprehend  that  it  is  not.  Somehow,  in 
reasoning  on  morals,"  a  tendency  to  evil,  sure  and  uniform, 
is  ever  suspected  to  be  the  single  characteristic  of  mankind. 
A  tendency  to  good  is  "seldom  supposed  ;  or  if  it  is  presumed 
to  exist,  the  reasoner  who  advances  the  idea,  is  heavily  ac- 
cused as  heretical,  or  laughed  at  as  chimerical.  And  yet 
Jehovah  himself  describes  our  condition  as  an  intermixture 
of  good  and  evil;  and  has  established  all  his  operations,  as 
a  reformer  among  men,  upon  that  tendency 'to  good.  On 
this  tendency  he  calculates  in  presenting  truth  to  their 
minds,  and  seeks  to  rouse  them  to  moral  action.  His  re- 
medial interference  is  neither  harsh  nor  violent ;  he  seeks 
not  by  omnipotence  to  coerce,  but  by  conviction  to  per- 
suade, or  by  love  to  attract.  And  he  calls  upon  us  to  imi- 
tate his  example.  Christians  are  the  light  of  the  world,  il- 
lumining the  darkness  around  them  ;  the  salt  of  the  earth, 
communicating  their  own  properties  for  the  purification  and 
preservation  of  others.  ]Nor  is  the  expectation  vain;  for 
the  lower,  are  ever  copying  the  higher  classes  of  life,  in 
manners,  dress,  language,  and  a  thousand  other  things, 
which  make  up  the  minutiae  of  life.  In  the  project  contem- 
plated, it  will  be  well  if  the  result  be  not  the  reverse  of  that 
which  the  objection  urges,  and  if  the  children  of  the  rich  do 
not  corrupt  those  of  the  poor.     Many  a  lesson  of  false  pride, 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  325 

unprofitable  and  injurious,  may  be  secretly  insinuated ;  and 
habits,  both  of  thought  and  feeling,  may  be  most  i  nsidi- 
ously  formed,  before  the  innovation  may  be  suspected,  or 
shall  have  attracted  any  notice.  But  the  truth  is,  from  an 
individual's  own  heart,  down  through  all  the  forms  and  cir- 
cumstances of  life,  every  thing  requires  vigilance,  .because 
every  thing  may  be  mismanaged.  It  belongs  not  to  man  to 
say — Let  it  be.  Every  thing  is  to  be  obtained  by  effort;  and 
the  education  of  the  young  is  not  to  be  effected  by  magic, 
or  by  an  overweening  confidence  which  shall  relieve  the  pa- 
rent from  watchfulness  and  caution.  I  recommend  no  pro- 
ject of  spontaneous  growth,  whose  practical  operations  re- 
quire no  providential  care.  Christianity  itself,  devised  by 
infinite  wisdom,  requires  the  superintendence,  kind  and  for- 
bearing, of  him  who  framed  it. 

If,  however,  the  pride  of  wealth,  and  of  family  distinction, 
must  still  be  arrayed  against  the  philosophy  of  life  and  its 
social  relations;  if  the  rich  cannot  consent  to  identify  them- 
selves with  the  poor,  so  far  as  to  carry  a  moral  and  reforming 
influence  into  the  whole  field  of  pauper  wretchedness;  if^ 
in  spite  of  our  strong  republican  asseverations,  with  which 
we  are  rendered  familiar  from  childhood  itself,  an  aristocracy, 
disregarding  the  morality  of  benevolence,  must  be  main- 
tained; if  the  division  of  mankind  into  classes,  by  artificial 
lines,  must  still  be  held  as  natural  and  sacred  ;  and  if  the  vari- 
ous ideas  to  which  that  division  has  given  rise  must  be  pro- 
nounced orthodox  and  wise,  without  reference  to  those 
moral  laws  which  bind  man  to  man,  whatever  may  be  the 
difference  of  external  circumstances;  then  the  alternative 
remains — charity  or  starvation.  They  who  have  hitherto 
given,  must  go  on  to  give.  The  evil  they  deplore  will  con- 
tinue to  grow  ;  and  all  the  facilities  and  advantages  which 
our  fine  country  affords,  will  not  save  us  from  the  convul- 
sions which  must  ensue,  and  which  the  voice  of  all  experi- 
ence has  proclaimed  in  the  clearest  and  most  unequivocal 
manner.  The  only  effectual  remedy  that  exists,  is  to  be 
found  in  reviving  the  moral  sense  of  those  who  have  sunk 
into  such  great  degradation.  Abandon  all  thoughts  of  this 
only  remedy,  and  we  may  as  well  expect  to  carry  sinners  to 
heaven  without  regeneration,  as  to  accomplish  any  perma- 
nent benefit  for  the  poor,  or  cure  the  evils  of  which  we  com- 
plain. 

This  system  of  general   education,  is,  however,  not  the 
only  thing  to  be  regarded,  in  view  of  the  painful  and  afflict- 
'     28 


326  LECTURES  ON 

ing  subject  before  us.  Our  charities  must  be  reviewed; 
for  though  they  express  great  benevolence,  they  are  yet 
most  improperly  bestowed;  and  while  they  professedly  seek  to 
relieve  the  poor,  they  are  actually  degrading  them  more  and 
more.  Mere  gratuities,  extended  to  any  one  able  to  provide 
for  himself,  are  to  that  individual  a  positive  injury.  They  con- 
travene the  great  law  which  God  has  established,  namely,  that 
man  must  gain  subsistence  by  labor.  And  that  law  can  no 
more  be  safely  set  aside,  than  any  other  law  which  has  been 
enacted.  Suspend  the  law  of  gravitation,  blot  the  sun  from 
the  firmament,  or  withold  the  rains,  and  no  substitute  can 
be  devised,  by  which  their  effects  can  be  produced.  Ban- 
ish love  to  God  and  love  to  man,  from  a  human  heart,  and 
that  heart  can  never  be  any  thing  else  than  evil.  No  more 
can  the  means  of  subsistence  be  produced  without  labor. 
Mere  dependant  poverty,  where  a  man  can  help  himself,  is 
therefore  directly  in  the  face  of  divine  law,  and  is  both  crim- 
inal and  disgraceful.  Under  such  circumstances,  both  he 
who  gives  and  he  who  receives,  are  alike  in  fault;  and  make 
an  inroad  upon  the  well-being  of  society,  which  needs  only 
to  be  amplified,  and  pauperism  is  produced  in  full  size. 
There  is  no' escape  from  this  statement.  It  is  necessarily 
true — the  effect  follows  its  cause  most  exactly,  and  philoso- 
phically. 

It  is  true  that  the  poor  we  must  always  have  with  us  ;  and 
they  are  entitled  to  the  most  tender  consideration.  There 
are  the  aged  and  infirm ;  the  lame  and  blind,  &c.  &,c.  who 
are  not  able  to  help  themselves,  and  who  ought  to  be  sup- 
ported. Oftentimes  a  poor  man  is  overtaken  by  an  emer- 
gency, which  he  did  not  foresee,  and  which  he  could  not 
prevent;  a  little  assistance  would  immediately  relieve  him, 
and  enable  him  to  rise  above  his  difficulty.  That  assis- 
tance should  cheerfully  be  extended  to  him.  "Thou  shalt 
open  thine  hand  wide,"  said  Moses,  "  unto  him,  and  shalt 
surely  lend  him  sufficient  for  his  need,  in  that  which  he 
wanteth."  Every  one,  will  often  find  himself  under  cir- 
cumstances, where  he  must  act  the  kind  almoner  to  the 
needy,  and  God  will  bless  him  in  his  deed;  for  "he  who 
giveth  to  the  poor,  lendeth  to  the  Lord." 

But  then  the  question  arises,  how  shall  these  charities  be 
extended  ?  The  redeemer  considered  the  pharisees,  as  has 
already  been  intimated,  to  have  interpreted  the  law  falsely, 
when  they  excused  a  son  from  the  duty  of  supporting  his 
father  or  mother,  on  the  plea  that  he  had  presented  asu  gift, 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  3£7 

that  portion  of  his  property  which  he  ought  to  have  devoted 
to  their  use.  Paul  says — "if  any  widow  have  children  or 
nephews,  let  them  learn  first  to  show  piety  at  home,  and  to 
requite  their  parents  ;  for  that  is  good  and  acceptable  in  the 
sight  of  God."  And  again — "if  any  man  or  woman  that 
believeth  have  widows,  let  them  relieve  them,  and  let  not  the 
church  be  charged."  According  to  these  regulations,  enact- 
ed by  inspired  wisdom,  and  enforced  by  scriptural  authority, 
charity  would  be  purely  an  individual  matter,  and  should  be 
confined  to  the  circle  of  family  relatives. 

We  should  almost  be  afraid  to  originate  such  a  mode  of 
relief.  But  as  the  scriptures  have  so  distinctly  stated  it,  we 
may  venture  to  remark  upon  its  simplicity ;  and  to  assert, 
that  had  it  been  faithfully  employed,  society  would  be  vastly 
more  moral  and  benevolent  than  she  is  at  this  hour. — Wri- 
ters on  political  economy,  when  they  speak  on  this  branch 
of  their  science,  frequently  refer  to  Scotland,  and  note  the 
happy  operation  of  these  scriptural  rules  in  that  country. — 
"Few,"  it  is  said,  but  such  as  are  destitute  of  relations  able 
to  support  them,  make  the  application  "for  public  charity ;" 
it  being  considered  disgraceful,  both  to  themselves  and  their 
relations,  to  have  their  names  entered  on  what  is  called  the 
poofs  roll."  So  that,  though  these  rules  come  under  the 
form  of  apostolic  injunctions,  yet  their  wisdom  is  demonstra- 
ted by  experiment,  whenever  they  have  been  tried.  And 
every  one  will  readily  perceive  that  there  is  no  danger  of 
their  being  carried  to  any  hurtful  extreme,  or  of  their  ever 
operating  as  a  bounty  on  marriage,  and  a  spur  to  population. 

The  apostle,  does  certainly  allude  to  eleemosynary  provi- 
sions made  by  the  church,  as  such;  and  the  office  of  deacon 
was  created,  to  take  charge,  with  other  temporalities,  of  the 
church's  alms.  But  observe  how  Paul  limits  and  guards  the 
whole  matter. — "Honor  them,"  he  says,  "that  are  widows  in- 
deed ; — let  not  a  widow  be  taken  into  the  number,  under  three 
score  years  old" — let  nephews  and  children, let  any  man  or  wo- 
man that  believeth,  relieve  their  own  widows,  and  not  suffer 
them  to  be  thrown  upon  the  church  fund.  At  the  same  time, 
and  alongside  of  these  very  restrictions,  he  remarks,  that  "if 
any  provide  not  for  his  own,  and  especially  for  those  of  his 
own  house,  he  hath  denied  the  faith  and  is  worse  than  an  infi- 
del."* The  worst  species  of  immorality  must  follow,  the 
renunciation  of  Christianity  itself  will  ensue.  Thus  guarded, 
the  social  charity  can  do  no  harm.     But  notwithstanding 

•lTitn.  v.  3,4—8,9. 


328  LECTURES  OX 

these  restrictions,  which  have  been  either  forgotten  or  mis~ 
understood,  this  very  provision,  made  for  "widows  indeed,'5* 
is  the  embryo  of  all  our  public  charities.  The  rule,  good 
and  necessary  in  itself,  has  been  carried  beyond  its  own  lim- 
its ;  and  the  abuses,  endless  in  variety,  and  fearful  in  form, 
have  followed.  The  brief  history  of  the  matter  may  be  told 
almost  in  a  sentence. — "In  the  first  ages  of  the  church,  the 
bishop  had  immediate  charge  of  all  the  poor,  both  sound  and 
diseased;  also  of  widows,  orphans,  strangers,  &,c.  When 
the  churches  came  to  have  fixed  revenues  allotted  them,  it 
was  decreed,  that,  at  least  one-fourth  part  thereof  should  go 
to  the  relief  of  the  poor;  and  to  provide  for  them  the  more 
commodious!}-,  divers  houses  of  charity  were  built,  which  are 
since  denominated  hospitals."  Here  is  the  simple  history 
of  the  whole  atfair.  Thus  poor  rates  were  commenced,  and 
alms  houses  formed  ;  and  they  have  been  perpetuated  under 
the  same  false  views  of  benevolence,  in  which  they  origina- 
ted. Their  abandonment  is  indispensable  to  our  return  to 
the  happier  condition,  in  which  the  apostolic  regulations 
should  have  placed  us. 

The  master  himself  has  sufficiently  exposed  the  whole 
evil.  The  pharisees,  in  his  day,  were  exceedingly  ostenta- 
tious in  their  alms-giving.  They  sounded  a  trumpet  before 
them,  in  the  synagogues  and  in  the  corners  of  the  streets, 
and  exposed  the  whole  matter  to  public  view.  Every  body 
knew  what  they  did  ;  and  thus  in  the  very  act  of  giving,  they 
lowered  their  own  moral  character.  Public  charity  degrades 
the  benevolent  themselves.  The  redeemer,  therefore,  for- 
bad his  disciples  to  act  in  any  such  manner;  and  laid  down 
this  rule  for  their  regulation. — "Let  not  thy  right  hand  know 
what  thy  left  hand  doeth,  when  thou  doest  alms."  Act  not 
like  the  pharisees.  Never  bring  your  alms  before  the  view 
of  men  :  your  heavenly  Father  will  neither  approve  nor  re- 
ward the  deed  ;  but  let  them  always  be  bestowed  in  secret, 
in  the  presence  of  your  heavenlyjfather,  who  seeth  in  secret, 
and  will  reward  you  openly.  The  reason  of  all  this  the  pha- 
risees themselves  made  manifest — the  duty  was  vitiated  in 
their  hands  ;  their  deceitful  hearts  obeyed"  the  impulse  of 
false  motives;  and  they  obtained,  in  the  flattery  and  adula- 
tion they  received,  all  the  reward  they  sought.  And  if  it  is 
more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive,  then  how  shall  the  poor 
fare  under  the  operation  of  public  charity,  when  public  cha<* 
rity  degrades  even  the  giver. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  329 

The  redeemer  certainly  had  no  intention  to  lay  down  an 
arbitrary  statute,  without  having  a  sufficient  reason  to  en- 
force it.  He  thoroughly  understands  human  nature,  and 
has  no  need  that  any  should  tell  him  what  is  in  man.  He 
legislates  for  mankind,  according  to  their  own  nature  and 
capacities,  ever  seeking  to  promote  their  welfare,  and  to 
protect  them  from  the  evils  that  are  incident  to  their  lot. — 
His  statute  in  the  present  case,  then,  is  founded  on  the  prin- 
ciples of  human  nature  ;  and  if  it  be  disregarded,  the  worst 
of  evils  must  follow.  Public  charities  can,  therefore,  do  no- 
thing but  harm,  however  they  may  be  modified;  and  the 
very  little  ways  that  the  apostle  himself  went,  in  encroach- 
ing upon  the  general  law,  and  which  he  did  from  sheer 
necessity,  he  seems  to  have  passed  with  a  fearful  heart  and 
a  trembling  step.  The  erection  of  houses  of  charity  was  a 
bold  and  hazardous  adventure,  on  which,  from  their  own 
just  estimate  of  human  nature,  neither  he  nor  his  master 
would  ever  have  entered.  That  was  left  for  the  ecclesias- 
tics of  after  times;  who,  misunderstanding  both  human  na- 
ture and  divine  law,  have  flooded  society  with  inventions  of 
their  own,  which  are  rife  to  this  hour,  and  as  desolating  as 
they  are  rife. 

There  is  another  objection  to  public  charities,  in  which 
they  seem,  under  another  form,  to  invade  nature's  laws,  and 
whose  force  we  see  no  way  of  evading.  They  appear  to  be 
increasing  the  means  of  subsistence,  without  actually  doing 
it.  The  means  of  subsistence  can  be  acquired  only  by  la- 
bor. Money  cannot  raise  them;  corn  will  not  grow  in  the 
rich  man's  coffers;  nor  can  the  treasury  of  a  nation  produce 
a  single  stalk  of  wheat.  Labor  alone  can  accomplish  the 
growth  of  grain.  But  public  charities  bring  hordes  of  con- 
sumers, without  providing  any  additional  labor  to  supply  the 
increasing  exigencies.  Then,  as  a  natural  consequence,  when 
these  supernumeraries  are  driven  to  occasional  work,  any  giv- 
en community  will  feel  that  there  is  an  apparent  increase  of 
laborers  beyond  the  demand;  and  a  reaction,  of  the  most 
hurtful  kind,  is  carried  back  to  the  classes  of  the  honest  and 
habitual  laborers,  which  directly  interferes  with  their  resources. 
With  the  apparent  increase  of  labor,  there  is  no  actual  in- 
crease of  it.  Wages  of  course  fall,  are  not  always  punctually 
paid,  and  the  hours  of  work  are  hurtfully  multiplied.  Then  the 
public  charities  must  be  increased,  for  the  poor  cannot  live 
by  what  they  earn:  and  as  lapidly  as  public  charity  grows, 
the  evil  grows,  and  every  new  society  adds  to  the  general 
28* 


330  LECTUftES  ON 

stock.  Hence,  in  large  cities,  where  public  charities  are 
always  most  munificent,  the  operation  commences,  and  the 
pauper  population  begins  to  accumulate.  Public  beneficence 
there  first  hangs  out  her  signals,  and  the  poor,  from  the  coun- 
try all  round,  feel  actually  invited  to  come  and  partake  of  the 
bounty.— If  nature's  laws  are  thus  defied,  what  else  could 
follow,  than  the  very  consequence  that  has  been  realised  ? 
The  evil  has  been  the  legitimate  result  of  ecclesiastical  mis- 
takes and  monastic  institutions. 

There  has  been  a  very  favorite  project,  which  looks  well, 
and  promises  fair ;  in  which  the  benevolent  seem  promptly  to 
engage,  and  by  which  they  calculate  to  do  much  good. — 
They  have  wished  to  erect  houses  of  industry,  or  have  framed 
societies  to  find  work  for  the  poor.  We  could  heartily  wish 
success  to  the  plan,  if  it  were  not  that  the  prospects  with 
which  its  friends  are  flattered,  are  utterly  delusive.  It  has 
not  been  left  to  this  age  to  conceive  or  execute  this  appa- 
rently excellent  enterprise.  Public  charity  has  long  since 
tried  the  experiment.  The  statutes  which  have  been  framed, 
embraced  the  double  object  of  providing  for  the  impotent 
poor,  and  finding  employment  for  those  who  were  able  to  work, 
Nor  only  so,  but  the  question  was  agitated,  whether  it  would 
be  better  to  procure  "stocks  to  be  worked  up  at  home,"  or 
to  "accumulate  all  the  poor  in  one  common  workhouse." — 
The  latter  plan  has  been  objected  to,  as  "tending  to  de- 
stroy all  domestic  connexions,  the  only  felicity  of  the  honest 
and  industrious  laborer;  and  to  put  the  sober  and  diligent 
upon  a  level,  in  point  of  their  earnings,  with  those  who  are 
dissolute  and  idle."*  This  project  is  therefore  nothing  new, 
but  has  already  been  fully  tried,  and  has  contributed  all  its 
influence  to  increase  the  evil  it  was  intended  to  relieve. — 
Such  a  result  might  have  been  expected,  and- will  infallibly 
occur.  The  reasons  why,  or  some  of  them,  I  shall  proceed 
to  state. 

It  is  very  evident  that  a  house  of  industry,  or  a  society 
finding  employment  for  the  poor,  still  dispenses  a  gratuity, 
and  a  public  gratuity.  The  name  has  been  changed,  but  the 
thing  itself  is  preserved.  Work  is  substituted  for  money  ;  but 
it  is  still  a  gratuity.  They  who  receive  work  on  these  terms, 
do  not  perceive  the  degradation  which  begins  so  insidious- 
ly;  but,  having  learned  to  take  work  as  a  gratuity,  the 
very  next  step  is  to  take  money.  The  idle  will  turn  away 
from  the  overture,  and  the  corrupting  principle  appeals  to 

•Blackston,  B.  1.  ch.  9. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  331 

the  better  classes  of  the  poor ;  so  that  by  beginning  a  step  high- 
er, a  house  of  industry  becomes  a  nursery  for  the  alms  house. 
The  evil  is  the  same,  and  its  consequences  the  same,  whether 
the  process  commences  with  work  or  money  ;  or,  if  there  be 
any  difference,  the  first  is  the  most  pernicious  of  the  two. 

The  agent  for  such  an  institution,  solicits  A,  B  and  C  to 
give  to  his  direction  whatever  work  they  have  to  put  out. 
A,  B  and  C  consent  to  the  proposition  ;  and  so  far  as  it  goes, 
they  have  accepted  a  gratuity,  and  committed  to  a  trustee 
that  which  they  should  do  for  themselves.  But  a  still  worse 
effect  follows  ;  the  poor  are  by  this  means  removed  from  the 
sight  of  A,  B  and  C.  Intercourse  between  the  different  clas- 
ses of  society,  of  which  there  is  by  far  too  little  already,  is 
thus  broken  up.  A,  B  and  C,  are  induced  to  believe  that 
the  poor  are  well  provided  for,  and  never  feel  their  sympa- 
thies aroused  in  favor  of  those  whom  they  do  not  see;  or,, 
while  the  evil  is  rapidly  growing,  that  share  of  moral  influ- 
ence which  familiarity  would  exert  is  withheld,  and  the  poor 
become  degraded  while  the  public  really  know  nothing  about 
it.  The  subject  sinks  from  public  notice  and  public  thought ; 
and  it  presently  becomes  exceedingly  paradoxical,  that  cha- 
rity does  not  relieve  the  distressed. 

Besides  A,  B  and  C,  were  in  the  habit  of  giving  their  work 
to  others,  whom  they  knew  and  esteemed.  What  will  become 
of  their  poor?  Either  they  must  go  to  the  public  institu- 
tion, or  suffer.  Should  they  apply  to  the  society  who  cha- 
ritably give  out  work,  they  meet  with  crowds  of  competitors 
— for  such  a  society  will  always  have  more  applicants  than 
they  can  supply, — and  are  probably  disappointed.  Or  should 
they  be  furnished  with  employment,  they  must  execute  it  for 
lower  wages  than  they  would  have  obtained  from  A,  B  and 
C,  because  they  must  assist  in  defraying  the  expenses  of  the 
society.  Perhaps  they  may  be  too  sensitive  to  apply  at  all; 
and  then  the  institution  has  simply  taken  bread  from  one 
poor  individual  to  give  it  to  another.  A,  B  and  C,  never  learn 
this  unexpected  result,  until  it  may  be  too  late  to  use  the 
remedy. 

Farther. — The  institution  being  public,  the  poor  are  en- 
ticed from  the  surrounding  country,  and  more  laborers  are 
brought  into  the  community,  where  there  are  too  many  al- 
ready. Wages,  instead  of  being  increased,  are  diminished, 
and  the  charitable  are  called  upon  for  farther  assistance. — 
A  preference  will  be  given  to  such  an  establishment,  and  the 
honest  laborer  cannot  bear  up  under  the  competition. — The 


332  LECTURES  ON 

expenses  of  the  establishment  must  be  paid;  and  thus  the  com- 
munity vviil  appeal  to  be  more  charitable  than  they  really  are. 
It  was  not  intended  to  produce  these  evils,  for  they  were  not 
foreseen.  The  community  designed  to  be  benevolent;  but 
deceived  by  fair  appearances,  they  never  stopped  to  analyze 
the  operation  in  which  they  so  promptly  engaged.  Good 
intentions,  however,  never  raised  an  ear  of  corn,  though 
they  have  often  created  the  necessity  that  it  should  be  done. 
It  may  possibly  be  urged  in  reply  to  the  preceding  views, 
that  the  apostle  Paul  directed  that  collections  should  be  ta- 
ken up,  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  in  the  gentile  churches, 
for  the  poor  saints  which  were  at  Jerusalem,  with  a  view  to 
eke  out  an  argument  in  favor  of  public  charity.  The  fact  is 
not  to  be  denied  ;  but  then  what  are  the  connexions  of  the 
fact?  The  passages  which  have  been  quoted  from  his  epis- 
tles, as  well  as  the  directions  given  by  the  master  himself,  are 
evidently  general  rules.  Are  we  to  suppose  that  the  apostle  laid 
down,  or  re-enacted,  rules,  which  he  neverintended  should  be 
executed  ;  and  that  personally  he  said  one  thing  and  did  an- 
other ?  Or  is  it  an  uncommon  thing,  that  there  should  be 
an  exception  to  a  general  rule,  which  might  suspend  it  for 
the  time  being,  without  ultimately  setting  it  aside  ?  Such 
cases  are  emergencies,  which  must  provide  for  themselves. 
A  famine  or  a  pestilence  would  take  a  community  by  sur- 
prise ;  and  more  particularly  the  poor  in  a  crowded  city. — 
The  case  would  appear  more  peculiar  still,  if  that  commu- 
nity should  be  under  foreign  domination  ;  for  then  their  spi- 
rit of  independence  would  be  cowed  by  military  oppression, 
and  their  energies  would  be  paralyzed  by  unrighteous  exac- 
tions. Substitute  persecution  for  the  famine  or  pestilence, 
and  such  would  be  the  condition  of  the  poor  saints  at  Jeru- 
salem. At  Jerusalem  their  Lord  had  been  crucified;  there 
some  of  their  brethren  had  been  martyred;  and  the  apostle 
himself  could  not  enter  the  city  without  personal  hazard. — 
They  had  been  informed,  before  they  embraced  Christianity, 
that  they  must  forsake  houses  and  lands  for  the  salve  of  the 
gospel ;  and  they  are  represented  at  one  time,  as  being  so 
hard  pressed,  that  they  were  obliged  to  sell  all  they  had  and 
make  a  common  stock.  Such  a  case  must  suggest  its 
own  remedy.  A  general  law  would  yield  to  a  pressing  ne- 
cessity, as  when  David  ate  of  the  shew  bread,  or  the  disci- 
ples plucked  the  ears  of  corn  on  the  sabbath  day.  But  take 
away  the  emergency,  and  the  general  rule  returns  with  all  its 
authority.     Public  charities,  as  they  are  now  bestowed,  have 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  333 

created  the  distress  they  propose  to  relieve  ;  and  pleading  an 
emergency,  have  converted  an  extremity  into  an  habitual 
evil.     The  two  matters  are  perfect  antipodes. 

There  is  still  another  item  in  this  subject  of  public  charity 
which  merits  very  serious  consideration.  The  apostle  has 
said,  "that  he  who  provides  not  for  his  own,  and  especially 
for  those  of  his  own  house,  has  denied  the  faith  and  is  worse 
than  an  infidel."  But  if  the  public  undertake  to  provide  for 
his  family,  why  should  he  trouble  himself  about  the  matter? 
Instead  of  the  moral  question  resting  at  all  upon  his  con- 
science, when  he  is  about  to  form  a  family  connexion,  he 
sees  no  evil  in  which  he  is  likely  to  be  involved,  or  which 
will  not,  he  calculates,  be  speedily  relieved.  The  great  im- 
pulse to  virtue  is  taken  away  ;  in  Paul's  strong  language,  he 
"denies  the  faith  and  is  worse  than  an  infidel;"  or  as  the 
fact  continually  presents  itself,  he  is  idle  and  intemperate, 
profane  and  vicious:  and  not  only  becomes  a  pauper  him- 
self, but  raises  up  a  race,  who  will  emulate  and  imitate  his 
awful  example. — I  affect  not  to  be  a  political  economist,  but 
plainly  state  my  own  impressions  long  since  formed,  and 
every  day  confirmed ;  and  in  behalf  of  which  I  appeal  to 
scripture,  nature  and  history.  And  if  these  views  are  cor- 
rect, public  charity  is  the  nurse  of  pauperism  :  and  while  the 
nurse  lives,  healthful  and  vigorous,  the  child  will  thrive. 

As  has  already  been  intimated,  intemperance  has  been 
heavily  accused  as  the  prolific  cause  of  pauperism.  And 
most  assuredly  the  drunkard  is  in  a  fair  way  to  beggar  both 
himself  and  family.  But  then  on  the  other  hand,  pauperism 
may  lead  to  intemperance  ;  for  if  public  charity  may  be  re- 
lied on,  a  poor  man  is  tempted  to  be  idle,  or  to  spend  his 
earnings  in  riot  and  dissipation.  The  necessity,  under  which 
the  divine  constitution  has  placed  him,  to  gain  his  subsist- 
ence by  the  sweat  of  his  brow,  is  in  a  great  measure  remov- 
ed ;  and  losing  the  balance  which  moral  principle  would 
have  preserved,  he  learns  to  think  lightly  of  an  evil,  which 
he  calculates  will  be  speedily  relieved.  The  statistics  of 
this  matter  are  fairly  petrifying.  But  I  feel  no  great  necessity 
to  furnish  them,  or  to  protract  the  argument;  because  the 
subject  has  been  attracting  public  consideration  for  many 
years.  The  political  measure  of  imposing  a  tax  upon  whis- 
key, and  a  project  to  plant  vineyards  in  our  country,  have 
been  largely  and  variously  discussed  ;  so  that  it  were  impos- 
sible that  the  information,  which  was  thus  spread  abroad, 
should  not  produce  considerable  excitement.    The  enormity 


334  LECTURES  ON 

and  extent  of  the  evil  were  thus  exposed  to  view,  and  the 
habits  of  society  have  been  very  much  changed. 

The  abandonment  of  public  charities  may  be  thought  to 
be  a  very  cruel  step.  And  so  it  would  be,  as  all  violent 
measures  necessarily  are,  if  it  be  suddenly  done.  The 
charitable  are  as  much  in  fault  as  the  poor  themselves,  and 
must  retrieve  their  own  errors  in  a  prudent  and  cautious 
manner.  But  it  is  presumed  the  object  is  not  impractica- 
ble. If  no  new  societies  should  be  encouraged  ;  if  those 
which  are  comparatively  new  should  be  dissolved;  and  if, 
then,  a  gradual  retrenchment  should  accompany  a  general  sys- 
tem of  education  ;  the  end  would  be  ultimately  attained.  A 
stopping  point  must  be  found  somewhere,  and  that  may  as 
well  be  ascertained  by  retrograding  as  by  advancing.  Should 
the  community,  however,  be  incredulous,  or  give  up  the 
matter  in  despair,  they  must  only  remember,  that,  in  all  the 
departments  of  nature,  violation  of  law  will  certainly  entail 
suffering;  and  that  the  pauper  population  will  as  infallibly 
overtake  the  means  of  subsistence  afforded  by  charity,  as  in 
general  society  population  overtakes  the  means  of  subsist- 
ence derived  from  labor.  The  benevolent  cannot  alter  the 
course  of  nature,  correct  the  wisdom,  or  mend  the  philoso- 
phy of  the  divine  institutions. 

To  remedy  the  evils  of  pauperism,  we  ought  still  to  have 
another  resource  on  which  to  rely.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed 
that  Jehovah  has  framed  a  system  for  the  moral  reformation 
of  mankind  at  large,  without  that  system  being  capable  of 
bearing  with  great  effect  on  our  present  subject;  because 
the  great  thing  needed,  in  relation  to  that  subject,  is  moral 
reformation.  The  additional  resource  should  then  be  found 
in  the  church,  which  God  has  made  the  light  of  the  world; 
and  particularly  in  her  ministers,  whom  he  has  commanded 
to  preach  the  gospel  to  all  nations — to  every  creature.  And 
it  would  seem,  from  the  example  afforded  in  apostolic  times, 
as  though,  when  a  great  and  good  revolution  was  intended, 
it  should  commence  with  the  poor.  The  wise,  and  mighty, 
and  noble,  have  all  that  they  desire;  and  are  apt  to  imagine, 
from  their  own  nourishing  condition,  that  things  are  right, 
just  as  they  are  ;  that  no  improvement  is  needed,  and  that 
no  change  would  be  for  the  better.  Men  in  power  seldom 
seek  or  wish  for  reform. 

But  when  we  turn  to  the  church,  any  calculation,  in  re- 
ference to  the  matter  in  hand,  seems  to  be  utterly  futile. 
There  are,  at  present,  such  various  and  incessant  calls  for 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  335 

money ;  and  we  hear  so  much  of  education  societies,  pa- 
rental and  auxiliary  ;  of  gratuities  and  loans ;  of  beneficia- 
ries and  scholarships  ;  of  bonds  redeemed,  and  bonds  remit- 
ted ;  that  instead  of  the  church  exerting  any  influence  to 
cure  the  evil  complained  of,  that  very  evil  has  become  epi- 
demic in  her  own  precincts.  And  it  requires  very  little 
prescience  to  prognosticate  some  very  heavy  calamities  as 
near  at  hand.  For  pauperism  will  run  a  similar  course,  in 
whatever  connexion  it  exists  ;  and  must  necessarily  assail, 
in  some  form,  the  integrity  of  those  who  are  found  in  its 
ranks.  The  analogy  is  too  striking  to  be  disregarded ;  or 
if  it  should  be  pertinaciously  defended,  it  will  not  be  long 
until  it  shall  have  worked  out  its  own  demonstration.  It  is 
a  pity  that  honorable  young  men  should  not  be  apprised  of 
the  deleterious  tendency  of  public  charities,  wherever  they 
may  be  found ;  and  that  they  are  never  more  hurtful,  than 
when  they  come  under  guise  of  promoting  the  redeemer's 
kingdom;  because  then  the  equivocal  character  of  the  means 
is  forgotten  in  the  contemplation  of  the  goodness  of  the  ob- 
ject. Under  such  circumstances,  an  ingenuous  youth  is  in 
great  danger  of  supposing  that  "  the  end  sanctifies  the 
means." 

Pauperism,  which  is  entirely  an  unnatural  state  of  society, 
originated,  as  has  been  seen,  in  regulations  intended  to  di- 
rect the  application  of  the  revenues  of  the  church.  And 
when  the  church,  as  such,  has  the  opportunity  of  gathering 
and  using  large  funds,  she  must  necessarily  undertake  to 
legislate  on  secular  principles.  Instead  of  wielding  a  moral 
influence  in  her  master's  name,  and  under  her  master's 
blessing,  she  has  superadded  something  to  the  free-will  of- 
ferings of  his  people,  and  becomes  distinguished  by  her  po- 
litical and  commercial  attributes.  She  must  have  a  new  class 
of  agents,  and  a  new  class  of  dependants,  because  she  has  a 
new  class  of  objects.  And  it  would  not  be  very  difficult  to  fore- 
tell, to  what,  such  an  operation,  sustained  by  the  strong  reli- 
gious feelings  of  mankind,  would  grow  ;  even  if  we  had  not 
the  history  of  the  papal  hierarchy,  and  the  powerful  influence 
of  ecclesiastical  policy  on  the  general  principles  of  legisla- 
tion, to  forewarn  us.  The  idea  of  a  church  becoming  rich 
is  not  unpopular  in  our  own  country,  notwithstanding  the 
fearful  examples  of  past  ages.  Some  alarm  has  been  felt, 
but  that  is  laughed  at  as  a  mere  piece  of  infidel  effrontery 
or  folly;  and  the  moral  irrelevancy  of  such  means,  in  pro- 
moting the  interests  of  the  redeemer's  kingdom,  is  not  sus- 


336  LECTURES  ON 

pected.     Amass  these  means,  and  reform  becomes  impossi- 
ble ;  for  they  who  wield  them, — at  least  such  is  the  history 
of  man — have  no  perception  that  any  thing  is  wrong.     They 
who  have   apprehended    evil,    feel    that  they  can  scarcely 
assail  the  colossal  power  without  being  crushed:  and,  be- 
coming too  timid  to  meet  the  danger,  or  make  the  sacrifice, 
they  cower  to  the  supposed  necessity,  and  call  it  expediency. 
But  should  this  apparently  useful  and  needed  operation  be 
encouraged,   or    should  the  events,  which  are  now   transi- 
piring  in  the  world,  and  have  given  to  the  papal  power  so 
fatal  a  blow,  not  arrest  it,  another  Henry  the  VIII.  may  be 
needed  in  some  after  age,  to  cut  short  "  the  wide  spreading 
degeneracy."     Those  who  are  engaged  in  this  matter,  have 
no  intentions  which  deserve  censure.     They  are  seeking  to 
do  good  ;  but  they  have  mistaken  the  means,  and  may  dis- 
cover their  error  when  it  is  too  late.     Apprehended  con 
tests  for  church  property,  even   now,   may  impose  silence 
upon  many  a  tongue ;    and  a  civil  charter  creates,  the  turn- 
ing point  of  argument.     The  moral  character  of  the  church 
is  suffering  much,  at  this  hour,  from  her  secular  measures. 
The   evident  design  of  these  pecuniary  provisions  is  to 
supply  the   world    with  ministers  ;  and  hence  they  are  ex- 
pended in  behalf  of  theological  seminaries,  education  socie- 
ties, &c.     But  when  the  object  is  stated,  another  evil  is  be- 
trayed ;    for   the   population   is   increasing    far   beyond  the 
means  of  furnishing  them  with  ministers.     Yet  it  is  sup- 
posed that  the  effort  is  as  great  as  can  be  made  ;  and  though 
it  is  demonstrably  insufficient,  men  can  do  no  more  than 
they  can  do.     In  this  way  the  difficulty  is  kept  out  of  sight, 
discussion  is  prevented,  and  the  church  remains  satisfied 
with  her  own   unsatisfactory  measures.     Did  the  redeemer 
or  his  disciples   adopt  such  a  course?     Did  they  rear  such 
institutions,  and  wait  on  the  proficiency  and  promise  of  an- 
nual  classes  of  students?     Or  were  not  elders  ordained  in 
every  city,  chosen  from  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  itself? 
And  must  not  every  society  have  within  itself  the  means  of 
its  own  operation  ? 

I  am  aware  that  the  power  of  working  miracles  has  been 
urged  as  a  sufficient  explanation  of  the  rapid  manner  in 
which  the  churches  were  furnished  with  official  men;  i.  e. 
this  power  was  a  substitute  for  literature;  and  now  that  the 
power  is  withdrawn,  nothing  but  literature  can  qualify  a 
man  for  ministerial  office.  But  this  argument  grows  out  of 
a  misconception  of  the  use  of  miracles.     Adam  wrought  no 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  337 

miracles;  neither  did  Noah  nor  Abraham.  But  when  the 
two  dispensations,  based  on  a  purpose  of  election,  were  in- 
troduced, that  election  was  so  far  out  of  the  ordinary  opera- 
tions of  the  divine  government,  that  special  proof  of  its  di- 
vine origin  was  indispensably  necessary.  This  point  hav- 
ing been  established,  the  power  of  working  miracles  was 
withdrawn,  excepting  that  old  testament  prophets,  having 
received  an  extraordinary  commission,  were  under  a  similar 
necessity  to  substantiate  their  pretensions  by  like  proof. 
Miracles  never  were  intended  to  be  a  substitute  for  litera- 
ture, nor  to  have  any  influence  in  determining  a  question, 
like  that  which  is  now  called  up.  The  redeemer  carried 
his  apostles  out  and  in  with  him,  during  the  whole  of  his 
ministry,  notwithstanding  his  intentions  to  endow  them  af- 
terwards with  such  peculiar  gifts.  When  he  wished  to  in- 
struct the  gentiles,  he  called  Paul  to  the  enterprise;  because 
it  needed  high  intellectual  character,  and  varied  literary  at- 
tainments. Paul  found  it  necessary  to  lower  the  estimate 
in  which  the  power  of  working  miracles  was  held,  and  re- 
presented the  constituent  principles  of  human  nature,  and 
the  ordinary  moral  characteristics  of  society,  as  of  much 
higher  consideration.  He  would  rather  speak  five  words 
with  his  understanding,  that  he  might  teach  others,  than  ten 
thousand  words  in  an  unknown  tongue,  though  the  power 
to  do  so  would  have  commanded  great  admiration  ;  and 
charity,  or  love,  he  thought  far  more  excellent  than  all  spi- 
ritual gifts. 

Neither  were  the  elders,  among  the  jews,  learned  men. 
True,  after  the  establishment  of  the  synagogues  by  Ezra,  it 
was  conceived  to  be  necessary  that  the  bishop  should  be- 
come a  literary  man;  public  seminaries  were  formed  to  in- 
struct those  who  were  intended  to  occupy  the  episcopal 
office  ;  then  honorary  titles  were  bestowed — such  as  Rabbi, 
Doctor,  &c.  Metaphysical  questions  were  soon  started  ; 
long,  and  bitter  controversies,  divided  the  community, 
into  sects  and  parties;  ordinances  and  burdens  were  impos- 
ed upon  the  human  conscience;  and  the  traditions  of  men 
took  the  place  of  the  commandments  of  God.  A  similar 
operation  has  been  most  successfully  carried  on  since  the 
ascension  of  the  redeemer  and  the  death  of  his  apostles, 
notwithstanding  his  severe  criticism  of  these  public  errors 
of  the  jews,  and  his  direct  charge  to  his  disciples  not  to  imi- 
tate their  example.  And  now,  with  the  fully  formed  impres- 
sion, that  literary  men  alone  should  enter  our  pulpits,  multi- 
29 


338  LECTURES  Oft 

tudes  are  perishing  around  us  for  lack  of  vision,   and  the 
church  has  no  agents  to  carry  home  to  the  poor  the  instruc- 
tion which  is  necessary  to  raise  them  from  their  degrada- 
tion.    Elders  in  every  city,  ordained  according  to  scriptural 
rule,  receive  no  compensation  for  their  services,  though  the 
redeemer  has  explicitly  declared  that  "  the  laborer   is   wor- 
thy of  his  hire ;"    and,   consequently,  no  services,   or  very 
few,   are   rendered.     The  church,   by  these    arrangements, 
seems  to  be  furnished  with  her  full  number  of   official  men, 
when  in  fact  she  is  not ;   and  the  gospel  is  not,  nor  can  it 
be,  carried  to  every  creature  ;   but  the  very  influence  which 
was  intended  to   bear  upon  the  poor  is  withdrawn,  or  is  not 
exerted.     The  consequence  is  natural.  ■ 
.     Society,  at  large,  is  not  literary,  either  in  old  or  new  coun- 
tries ;  and  particularly,  where  any  considerable  portion  of  the 
population  is  made  up  of  paupers.      It  is  therefore  an  idle 
plan  which  requires  all    ministers  to  form  a  literary  charac- 
ter ;  and  more  especially,  when  the  eldership  render  no  ac- 
tual service.       A  literary   community  may  call   for   literary 
ministers;  but  an  illiterate  community  would  be  much  better 
served  by  those  who  are  not  very  far  ahead  of  themselves. 
As  society  advances,  she  will  call  for  official  men  of  improved 
character;   and  she  will  be  able  to  furnish  them.     But  if  all 
classes  are  put   upon  a   level,    and  all    must  have   literary 
preachers,  it  is  no  matter  of  wonder  that  the  supply  should  be 
short  of  the  demand,  and  that  large  funds  are  required  to  meet 
circumstances  which  society  can  never  manage.     The  con- 
sequence necessarily  is,  that  public  institutions  fail  to  realise 
their  object,  even  after  the  most  expensive  and  excessive 
effort.       The  poor  are   disregarded,    population  increases, 
and  the  evil  hourly  grows  more  unmanageable.    Occasionally 
this  evil  attracts  public  notice ;  a  transient  excitement  is  pro- 
duced ;  some  new  societies  are  formed  ;  interesting  speeches 
are  pronounced;    painful    statistics  are  repeated;    and  the 
whole  matter  terminates,  as  though  something  really  praise- 
worthy  had  been  done,  while  the  divine  law  is  .disobeyed, 
and  society  is  not  relieved. 

It  may  be  stated  that  in  certain  sections  of  the  church  a 
different  plan  has  been  tried  :  and  that  notwithstanding  some 
objectionable  peculiarities,  these  sections  have  grown  in  num- 
bers and  influence ;  both  society  and  ministerial  characterhave 
improved  with  theii  progress,  and  they  are  rapidly  spreading 
themselves  over  the  world.  The  fact  demonstrates  the  truth 
of  the  preceding  remarks,  yet,  after  all,  it  is  only  a  sectional 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  339 

movement;  and  so  far  as  it  is  of  sectarian  character,  it  adds 
to  the  aggregate  of  evil.  It  would  seem  strange  that  the 
gospel  of  the  Son  of  God,  if  it  be  what  it  professes  to  be, 
should  not  carry  its  demonstration  to  every  bosom.  Surely 
it  cannot  lack  proof  of  its  own  truth,  and  one  may  be  well 
surprised  that  there  are  so  many  who  do  not  submit  to  its 
control.  It  is  an  easy  thing  to  attempt  to  explain  their  con- 
duct, by  referring  it  to  the  depravity  of  the  human  heart.  I 
shall  not  dispute  the  truth  of  the  position,  but  then  it  is 
very  general.  The  depravity  of  the  human  heart  may  in- 
clude in  it  a  great  variety  of  particulars ;  and  those  particu- 
lars should  be  ascertained,  that  the  general  mass  of  evil  may 
be  assailed.  If  the  difficulty  under  consideration  should  be 
the  result  of  mismanagement,  in  the  practical  administration 
of  the  church,  then  to  keep  that  mismanagement  out  of 
sight,  and  to  talk  of  the  depravity  of  the"  human  heart,  may 
seem  very  pious,  but  it  is  trifling  with  the  subject.  Perad- 
venture  many,  who  have  not  submitted  to  the  gospel,  have 
seldom  or  never  heard  it ;  and  to  speak  in  hard  terms  of  their 
rebellion  is  dealing  unfairly— for  how  shall  they  believe  in 
him,  of  whom  they  have  not  heard  ?  And  how  shall  they  hear 
without  a  preacher?  They  may  have  heard  the  gospel,  and 
yet  some  other  reason  may  account  for  their  unbelief.  The 
apostle  Paul  tells  the  jews — ".The  name  of  God  is  blas- 
phemed among  the  gentiles,  through  you."  And  perhaps 
the  matter  under  deliberation  maybe  traced  up  to  some  par- 
ticular cause,  that  ought  to  be  removed  ;  and  that  is  the  very 
form,  in  which  the  depravity  of  the  human  heart  is  betrayed. 
"By  this,"  said  the  redeemer  "shall  all  men  know  that  ye 
are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another."  And  will 
any  man,  who  has  any  acquaintance  with  the  different  sects 
in  the  christian  church;  who  has  heard  their  various  contro- 
versies, and  read  their  different  statements  of  the  doctrines 
of  the  gospel;  who  has  observed  the  principles  of  their  as- 
sociation, adopted  and  carried  out  into  execution  in  defiance 
of  the  claims  of  local  situation;  who  has  watched  their  em- 
ulation, their  proselyting  spirit,  and  their  sectarian  prejudi- 
ces— will  any  man,  who  has  known  all  this,  pretend  to  say, 
that  the  sects  have  demonstrated  the  truth  of  Christianity  by 
their  brotherly  love  ?  Can  they  have  carried  light  and  con- 
viction to  the  houses  and  bosoms  of  the  poor,  or  attracted 
the  attention  of  a  casual  observer  by  the  moral  beauty  of 
their  profession,  or  the  excellence  of  their  harmonious  feel- 
inas  in  a  common  cause  ?     Will  not  the  multitude  be  rather 


340  LECTURES  ON 

intimidated  from  investigating  a  subject,  about  which  there 
is  thus  apparently  declared  to  be  but  little  certainty  ?  Amid 
the  confusion  of  angry  passions,  bitter  words,  and  endless 
strife,  would  "one  that  believeth  not,  or  one  unlearned,  be 
convinced  of  all  and  judged  of  all?"  The  mischievous 
consequences  of  sectarianism  are  altogether  incalculable. 
While  they  are  defended  and  maintained,  the  church  can 
bring  but  a  feeble  moral  influence,  to  reform  the  crowds  of 
paupers  that  fill  our  land;  and  can  never  exert  those  moral 
restraints  that  are  indispensably  necessary  to  remedy  the 
evil,  which  the  state  seems  long  since  to  have  given  up  in 
despair.  If  these  associations  were  dissolved,  and  chris- 
tians of  each  community  should  consider  more  maturely  and 
harmoniously  their  own  social  and  local,  interests,  they 
might  carry  out  the  redeemer's  rule  and  supply  the  demon- 
stration of  the  truth  of  Christianity  which  is  so  much  need- 
ed. Those  associations  must  be  broken  up,  either  by  vol- 
untary consent;  or  under  the  force  of  desolating  judgments, 
which  already  seem  to  be  abroad  in  the  earth.  A  bleeding, 
a  wailing,  a  dying  world  calls  upon  christians,  of  all  denom- 
inations, to  quit  their  strife,  and  hasten  to  preach  a  crucified 
Christ  in  her  houses  and  her  streets.  And  will  they  still  go 
on,  offending  and  injuring  that  world  by  their  contention,  in 
despite  of  all  warning  ?  Then  the  mightiest  influence,  by 
which  the  degraded  and  unhappy  poor  should  be  reformed, 
and  brought  back  to  sobriety,  industry  and  morality,  will 
still  be  wanting;  and  all  their  benevolent  societies,  like  the 
monactic  institutions,  will  deepen  the  gloom,  multiply  the 
sorrows,  and  increase  the  calamity,  they  professedly  seek  to 
relieve. 

If  it  were  not  for  these  things — i.  e.  if  the  church  was  not 
divided  into  contending  parties,  if  her  official  principles 
were  not  so  narrow  as  to  shut  out  all  but  classical  men  from 
her  pulpits,  and  if  the  pauper  principle  were  not  so  popular 
an  ingredient  in  her  own  general  measures,  she  might  bring 
in  a  vast  amount  of  moral  influence  to  bear  upon  all  classes. 
She  would  be  a  praise  and  a  beauty  in  the  midst  of  every 
city  where  her  ordinances  are  administered,  illumining  the 
darkness,  and  relieving  the  ignorance  of  all  who  dwell  around 
her  altars.  But  as  matters  now  stand,  the  essential  princi- 
ples of  human  society  must  yield  to  her  artificial  distinc- 
tions, and  the  remedial  agencies  of  the  mediator  are  para- 
lysed by  her  sectarian  regulations.  She  has  acted  not  much 
unlike  the  rich   man,   who,  fond  of  pomp  and  display  and 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  341 

equipage,  has  injured  his  own  children  by  bringing  them  up 
in  idleness,  and  with  feelings  of  pride  and  selfishness,  which 
have  rendered  them  indifferent  to  the  wants  and  interests  of 
all  around  them.  How  can  the  world  be  else  than  injured 
in  a  moral  point  of  view,  when  the  very  means  of  moral  re- 
formation, which  God  himself  has  instituted,  should  be  so 
crippled  in  their  operation,  and  so  circumscribed  in  their 
objects?  When,  instead  of  elders  being  ordained  in  every 
city,  who  shall  be  identified  with  each  particular  communi- 
ty, a  particular  class  of  men  is  detached  from  society  ;  and, 
regulated  by  creeds  and  laws  of  their  own,  are  better  in- 
structed how  to  govern,  than  to  reform  their  fellow  men? 
Let  nature  and  reason  speak,  and  Christianity  will  justify 
their  decisions;  and  if  those  decisions  shall  be  faithfully  and 
affectionately  followed  up,  a  thousand  blessings  will  be  dif- 
fused abroad,  and  the  desert  will  presently  blossom  as  the 
rose. 

This  discussion  has  been  maintained,  because  its  subject 
fell  directly  in  my  way  ;  but  more  particularly  with  a  view  to 
some  general  conclusions,  which  I  shall  now  briefly  state. 
It  is  very  evident,  that  the  argument  just  closed  is  perfectly 
parallel  to  that,  pursued  on  the  subject  of  faith,  in  the  pre- 
ceding lecture.  Man  was  driven  from  paradise,  because 
that  God  would  not  maintain  him  as  a  pauper,  amid  its  luxu- 
riance and  bounty.  And  this  purpose  was  adopted  and 
carried  out,  not  in  an  unkind  and  arbitrary  manner,  but  be- 
cause the  improvement  of  human  nature,  and  the  necessary 
restraints  under  temptation,  depend  upon  the  industri- 
ous exercise  of  our  own  faculties.  Such  is  demonstrated  to 
be  philosophy,  from  the  whole  history  of  mankind  in  rela- 
tion to  the  means  of  subsistence.  The  same  thing  would  be 
very  apparent,  if  the  acquisition  of  science  had  been  the 
subject  of  inquiry.  Morals,  then,  cannot  be  considered 
as  an  exception  to  the  general  law,  when  that  law  results 
from  the  simple  philosophy  of  mind.  Faith,  therefore,  like 
labor,  involves  the  full  exercise  of  the  human  faculties;  and 
as  the  means  of  subsistence  cannot  be  obtained  without, 
but  may  most  certainly  be  obtained  with,  man's  personal 
labor;  so  salvation  cannot  be  achieved  without,  but  may 
most  certainly  be  achieved  by,  the  exercise  of  faith,  as  the 
operation  of  his    individual  powers. 

The  objection  must  not  be  again  returned  upon  us,  that 
this  view  of  faith  shuts  out  the  operation  of  divine  power, 
while  the  scriptures  declare  the  necessity  for  regeneration. 

29* 


342  LECTURES  ON 

For,  though  man  must  and  can,  obtain  the  means  of  subsis- 
tence by  his  own  labor,  yet  by  the  divine  constitution  it  is 
God  who  prospers  his  effort ;  nor  only  so,  but  Jehovah 
carries  a  regenerating  influence  into  the  field  of  labor. 
11  Thou  sendest  forth  thy  Spirit,"  says  the  psalmist,  "  they  are 
created  ;  and  thou  renewest  the  face  of  earth."  The  same 
word  is  here  used,  which  is  again  employed  by  the  psalmist 
when  he  prays,  "Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,  O  God,  renew 
a  right  spirit  within."  The  use  of  such  language  in  the 
scriptures,,  does  not  at  all  interfere  with  our  personal  res- 
ponsibility and  effort;  nor  is  it  ever  intended  to  argue  an 
incapacity  on  the  part  of  man  to  believe,  more  than  it  does  an 
incapacity  to  labor.  Neither  does  the'  use  of  such  terms 
imply  a  state  of  absolute  death  in  reference  to  the  subject 
to  which  they  are  applied  ;  for  when  the  regenerating  pro- 
cess is  carried  on  in  the  spring,  life  is  not  infused,  but  is 
merely  called  out  into  exercise.  The  dead  tree,  or  vine,  or 
plant,  is  not  revived  :  but  a  principle  of  life  is  acted  on. 
wherever  it  exists;  just  as  we  have  supposed  in  relation  to 
morals. 

I  am  not  without  my  fears,  that  divine  grace  is  often  con- 
sidered as  a  simple  gratuity,  and  the  mediatorial  kingdom, 
as  a  kind  of  pauper  establishment.  For  myself,  I  cannot 
sanction  such  an  idea  of  the  subject.  The  philosophy  of 
human  nature,  is  at  irreconcilable  war  with  such  an  idea: 
and  the  material  world  furnishes  us  with  no  emblems  of  it. 
God  calls  upon  men  to  act  up  to  the  whole  extent  of  their 
powers;  and  demands  no  more  of  them.  He  does  not  re- 
quire ''deeds  of  law,"  because  we  cannot  render  them. 
"Faith  is  counted  for  righteousness,"  because  such  a  system 
is  consistent  with  our  capacities,  and  can  be  fully  carried 
out,  according  to  the  philosophy  of  human  nature,  and  the 
ordinary  laws  of  his  providence.  It  is  true,  that  God  has 
gwen  to  us,  and  for  us,  his  only  begotten  Son;  but  it  is 
equally  true,  that  he  has  given  the  earth  to  the  sons  of  men. 
While  in  the  one  case,  the  means  of  subsistence  are  the 
product  of  human  labor,  and  in  perfect  consistency  with 
the  gifts  that  have  been  bestowed,  so  in  the  other  the  be- 
liever works  out  his  own  salvation,  on  the  principle  that  it 
is  God  who  works  in  him.  As  we  are  called  upon  to  pray 
for  our  daily  bread,  so  we  pray  continually  for  the  healthful 
influences  of  divine  grace;  and  as  the  Spirit  of  God  re- 
sponds in  the  one  instance,  so  he  does  in  the  other.  If 
men  will   not  labor,  they  must  starve  ;   and  if  they  will  not 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  343 

believe,  they  must  perish.  The  doctrine  of  personal  respon- 
sibility thus  again  stands  out  justified  and  commended  as  a 
display  of  pure  moral  philosophy,  and  intelligible  scriptural 
legislation. 

In  preaching  the  gospel  to  any  community,  the  redeemer 
directed  his  disciples  to  seek  out  in  the  first  place,  the  man 
who  was  worthy  ; — like  the  angels  searching  Lot  in 
Sodom,  or  Jehovah  making  inquiry  after  "ten  righteous 
men,"  with  the  view  of  ascertaining  a  starting  point  for  a 
remedial  operation.  A  direct  assault  upon  the  worst  part 
of  the  community,  though  sustained  by  the  denunciation  of 
most  fearful  terrors,  is  not  the  most  prudent  ministerial 
effort;  and  even  when  it  is  successful,  it  generally  amounts 
to  a  discovery  of  some  worthy  men,  who  might  have  been 
called  out  by  less  violent  measures.  But  ministers  are  so 
much  in  the  habit  of  calculating  on  divine  sovereignty,  or 
which  is  the  same  thing,  divine  power,  that  they  are  apt  to 
imagine  that  God's  providence  must  guaranty  all  their  ab- 
surdities. Nothing  is  set  down  to  the  action  of  intelligent 
human  nature  ;  public  opinion  is  set  at  defiance  ;  and  com- 
mon sense  is  laughed  to  scorn,  in  presuming  to  judge  of 
spiritual  things.  But  in  the  mediatorial  operations  of  the 
Son  of  God,  the  human  mind  must  pass  for  all  it  is  worth; 
and  the  only  value  of  a  minister  himself,  consists  either  in 
the  intelligence  he  displays,  or  the  moral  influence  he  may 
exert.  An  altar  inscribed  to  "the  unknown  God/'  may 
afford  a  better  starting  point  for  a  moral  reformation,  than 
the  talents  or  eloquence  of  a  Paul,  with  all  the  abstract 
mysteries  that  all  antiquity  could  affoid. 

An  individual  must  be  approached  with  like  wisdom  and 
caution.  The  remedial  point  in  his  character  should  be 
ascertained,  and  then  addressed  as  though  a  thinking  being 
were  to  be  roused  to  action.  That  point  maybe  sometimes 
very  high,  and  at  other  times  very  low.  Uniformity  is  an 
idea  that  belongs  only  to  the  mind  that  is  ignorant  of  human 
nature,  or  which  jesuitically  intends  to  degrade  and  enslave 
human  beings.  Or,  as  has  been  well  remarked, — "by 
placing  force  on  the  side  of  faith,  you  put  courage  on  the 
side  of  doubt."  Call  it  what  you  may,  grace,  sovereignty, 
power,  mystery,  law,  or  gospel, — apply  it  where  you  may, 
in  religion,  politics,  literature,  or  charity, — enforce  it  on 
whom  you  may,  christian,  jew,  mahomedan,  or  pagan, — the 
system,  whose  formalities  do  not  serve  to  revive  the  moral 
sense,  or  awaken  the  intellectual  energies  of  man,  is  false 


344  LECTURES  ON 

in  philosophy,  is  heretical  in  Christianity,  and  was  never 
espoused  by  Jehovah,  nor  successful  in  practice.  I  care 
not  what  excitement  may  be  produced  ;  what  alarms  may 
be  roused  ;  what  tears  may  flow,  or  what  numbers  maybe 
added  to  a  party :  the  end  must  be  disastrous.  There  is 
nothing  to  prevent  such  a  catastrophe.  A  high  nervous 
excitability  rushes  into  every  extravagance,  and  is  pleased 
with  its  own  prowess;  but  its  boasted  good  is  based  on  the 
heaviest  social  calamities.  Our  influential  men,  who  win 
public  favor  by  popular  show,  may  think  differently.  To 
their  own  master  they  stand  or  fall.  But  pauperism  in  every 
form  is  false  in  philosophy,  and  false  in  morals. 


LECTURE  XIV. 

Principle  of  Religious  Forms. —  Cherubim. — Sacrifice. — New 
Testament  Ordinances. —  Conclusion. 

When  Jehovah  created  our  first  parents,  and  placed  them 
in  the  garden  of  Eden,  he  afforded  to  them,  and  in  forms  cor- 
respondent with  their  own  nature,  every  variety  of  instruc- 
tive emblems.  The  heavens  and  the  earth  declared  his  glory; 
— the  assumption  of  personal  form,  presented  to  them  a 
''ministerial  organ"  of  heavenly  fellowship  with  himself; — 
the  garden  of  Eden  was  his  holy  temple,  where  he  delivered 
his  law,  and  where  they  enjoyed  his  presence  ; — the  seventh 
day  was  a  memorial  of  his  finished  work,  and  summoned 
them  to  some  special  services,  which  they  were  required  to 
render,  in  view  of  a  heavenly  rest  into  which  they  should  ul- 
timately enter; — every  thing  around  them  was  lovely  and 
good,  teaching  them  of  the  Tore,  the  wisdom,  the  power,  and 
the  righteousness  of  God ; — nothing  was  wanting  to  explain 
their  duty  and  to  attract  them  to  its  performance. 

Even  in  a  political  point  of  view,  when  the  paradisiacal 
statute  was  proclaimed,  and  social  responsibility,  with  all  its 
multifarious  circumstances,  was  appended  to  personal  obli- 
gation as  connected  with  the  law  written  on  the  heart,  the 
garden  furnished  a  still  more  exuberant  display  of  divine 
goodness.  If  this  secondary  form  of  human  existence  mul- 
tiplied duties,  it  also  multiplied  external  advantages  as  at- 
tendant on  those  duties.  It  was  not  good  that  man  should 
be  alone  ;  so  that  the  paradisiacal  constitution  was  establish- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  345 

ed  out  of  real  kindness,  and  was  so  set  forth  by  the  external 
circumstances  under  which  it  was  introduced.  The  tree  of 
the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  placed  in  the  midst  of  the 
garden,  was  like  every  other  external  symbol;  a  kind  and  a 
needful  monitor,  as  well  as  a  simple  and  easy  test  of  obe- 
dience. In  short,  place  man  where  you  will,  his  character 
must  be  developed  by  his  works.  Thus  he  is  to  be  esti- 
mated and  judged  by  both  God  and  men. — "By  their  fruits 
ye  shall  know  them." 

In  the  progress  of  our  discussion,  we  are  now  contempla- 
ting man  as  a  sinner  ;  and  as  placed  under  a  remedial  system, 
which,  like  the  original  institute,  must  be  correspondent 
with  his  own  nature.  He  is  still  surrounded  by  the  external 
exhibitions  of  the  divine  goodness.  Now,  as  well  as  at  first, 
the  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God.  Social  life,  with  its 
various  relations,  we  see  still  preserved  ;  and  its  distinctive 
purposes  are  held  up  to  view,  as  good  in  their  intentions", 
and  as  important  in  their  operations,  as  they  ever  were.  A 
sabbatical  ordinance,  emblematic  of  a  heavenly  rest  to  be 
enjoyed,  after  we  shall  have  fulfilled  our  various  responsibil- 
ities and  finished  our  earthly  labors,  was  not  revoked.  Evil 
it  is  true  has  been  introduced ;  but  then  that  evil  has  not 
been  the  entire  desolation  of  the  good  originally  created. 
The  condition,  the  constitution,  and  the  life  of  man  are  an 
intermixture  of  good  and  evil;  and  a  remedy  has  been  pro- 
mulgated by  which  he  may  overcome  that  evil.  And  this 
second  constitution,  like  the  first,  being  based  upon,  and 
consistent  with,  the  principles  of  human  action,  or  calling 
upon  men  to  labor  according  to  their  ability  ;  must  establish 
its  own  external  ordinances,  or  be  illustrated  by  a  series  of 
evangelic  symbols.  The  nature  of  man  requires  such  things : 
the  whole  material  world  is  a  collection  of  such  things. — 
The  cherubic. emblems  or  the  sacrificial  institution,  baptism 
or  the  Lord's  supper,  if  they  correspond  with  the  external 
situation  of  mankind,  may  be  sustained  by  reasons  as  ration- 
al, and  serve  purposes  as  valuable,  as  any  other  ordinance, 
human  or  divine.  In  fact,  without  such  outward  forms,  the 
remedial  system  would  soon  sink  into  oblivion  ;  for,  by 
what  means  would  you  furnish  man  with  remedial  ideas, 
seeing  that  he  gets  his  ideas  by  means  of  his  external 
senses? 

Religious  forms  have  created  a  great  deal  of  discussion. 
Some  moralists  can  never  have  enough  of  them  ;  they  add 
line  upon  line,  and  precept  upon  precept ;  rites  and  ceremo- 


346  LECTURES  ON 

nies,  fasts  and  feasts,  days  and  weeks  have  been  multiplied 
without  end:  new  inventions  are  added  to  old  traditions, 
and  judgment,  mercy,  and  faith  are  forgotten,  amid  tithes  of 
mint  and  anise  and  cummin.  Social  combinations  and  exter- 
nal show  become  substitutes  for  practical  virtues;  and  for- 
mularies of  faith  and  prayer,  render  thought  and  investiga- 
tion unnecessary.  An  ecclesiastical  legislation  of  this  kind, 
small  in  its  beginnings,  but  fearfully  rapid  in  its  progress, 
has  more  than  once  held  on  its  course,  until  a  ritual  has 
been  established,  so  childish  and  burdensome,  that  revolu- 
tion has  become  indispensably  necessary. 

On  the  other  hand,  many  have  rushed  into  the  opposite 
extreme,  and  have  cast  off  all  religious  forms.  They  would 
adore  God  in  the  great  temple  of  nature,  and  laugh  at  all 
religious  associations.  In  the  outward  ceremonies  of  divine 
worship, — in  the  priestly  functions,  in  the  sacrificial  institu- 
tion, in  evangelic  ordinances, — they  can  see  nothing  but 
the  inventions  of  designing  men.  In  the  church  itself,  hun- 
dreds can  hear  sermons,  and  out  of  respect  to  public  opin- 
ion seek  baptism  for  their  children  ;  but  perceive  no  beauty, 
and  feel  no  attractions  in  the  new  testament  passover.  So 
mankind  pass  from  one  extreme  to  another,  and  in  reject- 
ing the  superstition  of  the  age  in  which  they  live,  lose  sight 
of  the  elemental  principles  of  their  individual  and  social  na- 
ture ;  and  that  too,  while  they  can  draw  an  accurate  line  in 
an  analogous  case  ;  or  can  point  out  the  difference  between 
despotism  and  anarchy,  politically  considered.  Sometimes 
these  contradictory  matters,  institute  their  rival  pretensions; 
— ignorance  presuming  to  be  the  mother  of  devotion,  and  in- 
fidelity running  up  her  genealogy  to  superstition,- — until  in- 
telligent men  are  brought  to  live  in  fearful  suspense,  pain- 
fully prognosticating,  yet  afraid  to  meet,  the  disasters  that 
are  coming. 

The  promise  given  to  our  first  parents,  assuring  them  that 
"the  seed  of  the  woman  should  bruise  the  serpent's  head," 
was  certainly  not  all  that  Jehovah  gave,  in  order  to  set  be- 
fore them  the  remedial  institute.  The  fate  of  the  literal  ser- 
pent, converted  into  a  degraded  symbol  of  satan's  overthrow, 
which  has  been  known  in  every  age,  and  exhibited  in  every 
country  ; — the  remark  of  Eve  on  the  birth  of  Cain,  when  she 
observed,  "I  have  gotten  a  man,  even  Jehovah  his  very 
self:" — the  offerings  which  Cain  and  Abel  respectively 
brought  to  the  Lord; — the  official  distinctions  which  were 
very  soon  so  accurately  defined,  and  so  strongly  marked ;— 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  347 

the  prevalence  of  sacrifice  all  over  the  world,  accompanied 
with  the  expectations  of  a  mediatorial  advent ;— these,  and 
other  matters  of  a  similar  kind -which  might  be  mentionedj 
certainly  evince  that  fuller  representations  were  made  at  the 
time,  than  Moses  has  recorded.  He  was  writing  to  a  peo- 
ple who  were  no  strangers  to  the  matters  to  which  he  so 
briefly  refers;  and  he  felt  no  occasion  to  write  any  fuller  details 
for  future  generations,  because  the  institutions,  which  he  was 
commissioned  to  establish,  would  supply  any  deficiency  which 
might  be  felt.  The  prophecies  and  promises  which  himself 
uttered,  the  types  and  ordinances,  designed  to  prefigure  the 
coming  Messiah  and  his  work,  which  belonged  to  the  sinaic 
ritual,  clearly  announced  whatever  was  necessary  to  be 
known  by  us.  For  this  reason,  he  has  not  traced  up  sacri- 
fice to  its  divine  origin,  further  than  as  it  is  implied  in  the 
history;  nor  has  he,  any  where  in  his  writings,  explained 
the  nature  of  the  cherubim.  Both  of  these,  however,  appear 
to  have  been  attached  to  the  early  system  of  worship  which 
Jehovah  established  when  he  expelled  man  from  the  garden. 
Neither  of  them  was  forgotten,  either  among  jews  or  pagans,  at 
the  time  when  Moses  wrote  ;  but  they  evidently  distinguished 
the  whole  patriarchal  dispensation,  and  were  left  among  the 
heathen,  at  the  very  time  they  were  renewed  with  such  pe- 
culiar glory  among  the  descendants  of  Abraham. — But  they 
require  some  farther  illustration. 

The  cherubim  are  not  generally  understood.  .  "The  com- 
mon notion,"  says  Faber,  "that  they  were  little  better  than 
a  sort  of  terrific  scare-crows,  employed  to  prevent  mankind 
from  approaching  the  tree  of  life,  seems  to  me  to  be  no  less 
childish,  than  irreconcilable  with  other  parts  of  scripture." 
Under  the  levitical  economy,  the  cherubim  were  placed  first 
in  the  tabernacle,  and  afterwards  in  the  temple.  And  if 
so,  why  should  they  not  be  considered  as  serving  a  corre- 
sponding purpose  from  the  very  beginning?  If  they  were 
then,  as  well  as  afterwards,  placed  in  a  tabernacle,  it  would 
seem  that  no  doubt  should  be  left,  either  of  their  hieroglyph- 
ical  character,  or  of  their  sacred  intention.  And  that  they 
were  so  placed,  appears  to  be  very  distinctly  implied  in  the 
following  apocryphal  text; — "Thou  hast  commanded  me  to 
build  a  temple  upon  thy  holy  mount,  and  an  altar  in  the  city 
wherein  thou  dwellest,  a  resemblance  of  the  holy  tabernacle, 
which  thou  hast  prepared  from  the  beginning."*  The 
"flaming  sword  which  turned  every  way,"   was   "a  bright 

*  Wis.  of  Sol.  ix.  8. 


348  LECTURES  ON 

blaze  of  bickering  Are,"  or  "a  fire  infolding  itself,"  which 
was  equally  characteristic  of  the  levitical  cherubim,  and 
which  was  the  symbol  of  the  divine  presence.  The  Jewish 
rabbins  have  called  this  display  of  the  divine  glory  the 
shechinah  :  which  is  a  term  merely  anglicising,  in  its  substan- 
tive form,  the  very  word  which  Moses  here  uses,  and  which 
our  translators  have  very  imperfectly  rendered  placed.  It 
ought  to  be, — "Jehovah  Elohim  caused  to  dwell,  or  put  in  a 
tabernacle,  at  the  east  end,  or  before,  the  garden  of  Eden, 
the  cherubim." 

When  Moses  gave  his  directions  concerning  the  taber- 
nacle, which  was  erected  in  the  wilderness,  he  did  not  de- 
scribe the  cherubim.  Neither  were  they  described  after- 
wards, when  Solomon  built  the  temple.  No  very  good 
reason  can  be  assigned  for  this  repeated  silence,  unless  it 
be  that  the  people  were  well  acquainted  with  their  character 
and  form:  and  this  reason  will  be  entirely  satisfactory,  if  it 
is  recollected  that  "the  various  consecrated  utensils,  and 
outer  parts  of  the  temple,  were  profusely  decorated  with 
these  mysterious  hieroglyphics."  Ezekiel,  however,  has 
supplied  the  deficiency,  when  he  details  "the  visions  of 
God,"  which  he  saw  by  the  river  of  Chebar.  He  saw  four 
living  creatures,  which  had  the  face  of  a  man,  the  face  of  a 
lion,  the  face  of  an  ox,  and  the  face  of  an  eagle. "*  Again 
he  remarks, — "I  knew  that  they  were  the  cherubim; — every 
one  had  four  faces  a  piece."!  Of  course  the  cherubim 
were  well  known,  as  having  four  faces,  surmounted  by  a 
brilliant  display,  or.  ardent  blaze  : — "the  cherubim  of  glory," 
or  of  manifestation,  as  Paul  denominates  them  ;  though  he 
did  not  think  it  worth  while  to  speak  particularly  about 
them,  t 

Furthermore,  the  same  prophet,  speaking  of  the  king  of 
Tyre,  represents  him  as  having  been  in  Eden,  the  garden 
of  God,  and  describes  him  as  "the  anointed  cherub  that 
covereth;  that  was  upon  the  holy  mountain  of  god, 
that  walked  up  and  clown  in  the  midst  of  the  stones  of 
fire."  And  the  Lord  God  said  to  him, — "I  will  destroy 
thee  0  covering  cherub  from  the  midst  of  the  stones  of 
fire."§  The  prophet,  by  his  allusion,  not  only  evinces  that 
there  were  cherubim  situated  in  connexion  with  paradise, 
or  the  garden  of  Eden,  and  that  they  were  associated  with 
a  fiery  display,  but  he  does  this  after  having  previously  ex- 

»  Ezek.  i.  t  Ezek.  x.  10—22. 

I  Heb  ix.  5.  §  Ezek.xxviii.  12—16. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  349 

hibited  the  cherubim  with  four  faces,  over  which  was  seen 
"a  fire  infolding  itself."  Nor  is  this  all.  The  king  is  called 
a  covering  cherub ;  a  term  which  we  cannot  explain, 
unless  we  call  up  the  fact  that  the  cherubim  shadowed,  or 
covered,  the  mercy-seat,  under  the  levitical  dispensation. 
If  this  be  the  explanation,  then  so  distinct  a  reference  to  the 
mercy-seat  leads  us  at  once  to  the  idea,  that  there  were  not 
only  cherubim  placed  in  a  tabernacle  before  the  garden  of 
Eden;  but  that  a  ritual,  large  and  varied,  including  all  the 
different  ministerial  services  attendant  on  its  ordinances, 
was  established  from  the  beginning.  The  argument,  then, 
which  demonstrates  the  erection  of  the  tabernacle,  and  its 
furniture,  from  the  beginning,  irrefutably  proves  the  divine 
origin  of  sacrifice,  or  the  enactment  of  that  institution  by 
divine  authority. 

The  four  faces  which  Ezekiel  enumerates, — the  ox,  the 
lion,  the  eagle,  and  the  man,  have  been  used  as  sacred 
symbols  all  over  the  world.  "This  uniform  veneration  of 
them,"  as  Faber  well  remarks,  "must  have  proceeded  from 
a  common  origin.  That  common  origin  can  only  be  found 
in  a  period,  when  all  mankind  formed  a  single  society. 
The  existence  of  that  single  society  cannot  be  placed  later 
than  the  building  of  the  tower  (of  Babel.)  Consequently, 
the  first  veneration  of  those  symbols  cannot  be  ascribed  to 
a  more  recent  age  than  that  of  Nimrod.  But  in  that  age, 
which  was  marked  by  the  commencement  of  a  mythological 
system,  that  was  afterwards  carried  into  every  region  of  the 
earth  by  them  of  the  dispersion,  the  form  of  the  cherubic 
symbols  must  have  been  well  known.  Since  the  genuine 
patriarchism,  and  the  rise  of  idolatry,  thus  chronologically 
meet  together ;  since  the  latter  seems  evidently  to  have 
been  a  perverse  depravation  of  the  former ;  since  the  three 
animal  figures,  which  entered  into  the  compound  shape  of 
the  cherubim,  are  the  very  three  animal  figures  which  have 
been  universally  venerated  by  the  gentiles,  from  the  most 
remote  antiquity:  I  see  not  how  we  can  reasonably  avoid 
the  obvious  conclusion,  that,  in  whatever  manner  the  pagans 
applied  the  symbols  of  the  bull,  the  lion,  and  the  eagle, 
they  were  borrowed  in  the  first  instance  from  those  animals, 
as  combined  together  in  the  form  of  the  cherubim" 

You  will,  of  course,  have  perceived,  that  as  the  time  of 

dispersion,  referred  to  in  the   preceding  extract,  was  that 

which  occurred  when  Jehovah  came  down  to  confound  the 

languages  of  mankind,  at  the  building  of  the  tower  of  Babel, 

SO 


350  LECTURES  Otf 

the  only  cherubim,  from  which  the  gentiles  could  have 
derived  their  ideas,  and  have  learned  to  venerate  those 
animal  figures,  both  conjointly  and  separately,  were  the 
paradisiacal  cherubim.  If  so,  then  these  four  faces  be- 
longed to  this  great  antediluvian  symbol,  before  which  Cain 
and  Abel  brought  their  offerings,  as  Moses  informs  us ;  and 
when,  probably,  the  question,  who  was  to  be  the  heir  of 
Adam's  official  honors,  was  visibly  and  peremptorily  de- 
cided. Nor  have  we  the  least  reason  to  believe,  that  those 
cherubim,  whatever  they  were,  were  soon  withdrawn.  Ad- 
mitting that  they  were  any  thing  like  the  levitical  symbols 
which  were  afterwards  set  up,  and  which  were  placed  in  the 
holiest  of  all,  "shadowing  the  mercy-seat,"  while  none  but 
the  high  priest  could  enter  within  the  vail,  and  that  only  on 
one  day  in  the  year,  their  permanency  was  as  necessary  in 
the  one  case,  as  in  the  other.  Indeed,  the  universality  of 
the  cherubic  emblems,  argues  as  strongly  in  favor  of  their 
permanency,  as  of  their  existence. 

Having,  as  I  suppose,  sufficiently  elucidated  the  identity 
of  the  two  representations,  or  the  sameness  of  the  intentions 
evolved  in  the  paradisiacal  and  levitical  cherubim,  another 
question  presents  itself,  and  one  which  has  been  frequently 
and  elaborately  discussed.  It  is  this  : — what  was  designed 
by  this  exhibition  ?  Some  have  supposed  that  "created 
spiritual  angels"  were  represented  under  these  singular  and 
peculiar  emblems;  and  that  as  these  faces  were  turned  to 
one  another,  and  towards  the  mercy-seat,  the  angels  were 
exhibited  thereby  as  intensely  prying  into,  or  studying,  the 
mysteries  of  redeeming  love.  Others  have  considered  the 
cherubim  to  be  "emblematical  of  the  ever  blessed  trinity, 
in  covenant  to  redeem  man,  by  uniting  the  human  nature 
to  the  second  person"  These  latter  critics  proceed  to 
argue,  "that  the  personality  in  Jehovah  is  in  scripture  re- 
presented by  the  material  trinity  of  nature;  and  that  the  pri- 
mary type  of  the  Father,  is  fire;  of  the  Word,  light;  and 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  spirit,  or  air  in  motion.  The  ox  ox  bull, 
on  account  of  his  horns,  the  curling  hair  on  his  forehead, 
and  his  unrelenting  fury  when  provoked,  is  a  very  proper 
animal  emblem  of  fire ;  as  the  lion,  from  his  usual  tawny, 
gold-like  color,  his  flowing  mane,  his  shining  eyes,  his  great 
vigilance  and  prodigious  strength,  is  of  the  light;  and  thus 
likewise  the  eagle  is  of  the  spirit,  or  air  in  action,  from  his 
being  chief  among  fowls,  from  his  impetuous  motion,  and 
from  his  towering  and  surprising  flights  in  the  air."     Such 


Moral  government.  351 

speculations  you  may,  perhaps,  consider  to  be  exceedingly 
fanciful,  and  to  manifest  a  great  deal  more  of  doctrinal  pre- 
dilections, than  of  sound  or  profitable  criticism.  The  whole 
may  remind  you  that  the  heathen  interpreted  these  emblems 
much  in  the  same  manner,  considering  that  these  four  faces 
were  symbolic  of  the  great  deity  they  worshipped;  and 
that  for  this  reason  Paul  condemns  them, — because  they 
changed  the  glory  of  the  incorruptible  god  into  an  image 
made  like  to  corruptible  man,  and  to  birds,  and  four  footed 
beasts,  and  creeping  things." 

In  the  book  of  revelation,  the  apostle  informs  us,  that — 
"in  the  midst  of  the  throne,  and  round  about  the  throne, 
were  four  living  creatures,  full  of  eyes  before  and  behind. 
And  the  first  living  creature  was  like  a  lion,  and  the  second 
living  creature  was  like  a  calf,  and  the  third  living  creature 
had  a  face  as  a  man,  and  the  fourth  living  creature  was  like  a 
flying  eagle.  And  the  four  living  creatures  had  each  of 
them  six  wings  about  him ;  and  they  were  full  of  eyes  within  : 
and  they  rest  not  day  and  night,  saying,  Holy,  holy,  holy, 
Lord  God  Almighty,  which  was,  and  is,  and  is  to  come."* 
Again,  it  is  said  that  these  "four  living  creatures,  with  the 
four  and  twenty  elders,  fell  down  before  the  Lamb, — and 
they  sung  a  new  song,  saying, — Thou  art  worthy  to  take 
the  book,  and  to  open  the  seals  thereof:  for  thou  wast  slain, 
and  hast  redeemed  us  to  God  by  thy  blood  out  of  every  kin- 
dred, and  tongue,  and  people,  and  nation,  and  hast  made  us 
unto  our  God  kings  and  priests:  and  we  shall  reign  on  the 
earth. "t  Here  then  we  have  these  same  four  faces  which 
distinguished  the  cherubim;  but  instead  of  representing 
either  angels  or  the  trinity,  they  represent,  in  some  view  or 
other,  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord,  gathered  out  of  every 
kindred  and  tongue,  and  people,  and  nation. 

Again  it  is  said  of  the  redeemed, — "They  are  before  the 
throne  of  God,  and  serve  him  day  and  night  in  his  temple  ; 
and  he  that  sitteth  on  the  throne  shall  dwell  among  them. "t 
This  latter  clause  would  be  more  literally  rendered, — shall 
dwell  as  in  a  tabernacle  above  them.  The  same  sort  of  phra- 
seology is  used  in  reference  to  the  redeemer: — "The  Word 
was  made  flesh,  and  dwelt  as  in  a  tabernacle  amongst  us."§ 
Once  more  it  is  said, — "the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men, 
and  he  will  dwell  with  them,  and  they  shall  be  his  people, 
and  God   himself  shall  be  with  them,  and  be  their  God;"|| 

*  Rev.  iv.  6—11.  fRev.  v.  8—10.  t  Rev.  vii.  15. 

§  John  i.  H.  JJ  Rev.  xxi.  3. 


352  LECTURES  ON 

even  then,  when  "God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their 
eyes  ;  and  there  shall  be  no  more  death,  neither  sorrow,  nor 
crying,  neither  shall  there  be  any  more  pain  :  for  the  former 
things  are  passed  away."  It  would  appear  that  the  cheru- 
bim and  the  saints,  occupy  a  similar  position,  and  the  Lord 
God  is  represented  to  dwell  as  in  a  tabernacle  above  both  of 
them.  The  cherubim  then  were  emblematical  of  the  saints; 
and  "the  fire  infolding  itself,"  which  was  a  symbol  of  the  di- 
vine glory  over,  or  above,  the  cherubim,  was  emblematical 
of  God's  dwelling  with  his  people. 

Such  was  not  only  the  import  of  the  levitical,  but  also  of 
the  paradisiacal,  cherubim  :  or  the  cherubim  at  the  east  end 
of  the  garden  of  Eden,  placed  there  in  a  tabernacle,  with 
u  a  bright  blaze  of  bickering  fire,"  constituted  the  great 
antediluvian  symbol  of  the  mediatorial  constitution  j  or  of 
its  happy  issue,  when  the  redeemed  shall  be  brought  home 
to  glory.  If  I  have  rightly  explained  this  matter,  you  may 
perceive  what  a  happy  and  glorious  illustration  of  the  first 
promise  these  cherubim  afforded.  You  can  understand 
what  is  meant  in  the  fourth  chapter,  when  the  two  brothers 
are  said  to  bring  their  offerings  unto  the  Lord;  and  when 
Cain  is  spoken  of  as  going  out  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord 
to  dwell  in  the  land  of  Nod.  You  can  readily  conceive, 
not  only  that  sacrifice  was  then  enjoined,  but  that  Adam 
must  have  been,  by  special  appointment,  the  priest  of  the 
most  high  God;  and  how  ihe  question  of  birthright,  as  in- 
volving the  honors  of  the  priesthood,  might  awake  the  jea- 
lous ambition  of  Cain,  as  he  himself  was  declining,  and 
Abel  was  advancing,  in  the  excellence  and  integrity  of  per- 
sonal character.  And  you  can  easily  account  for  the  well 
authenticated  fact,  that  throughout  the  whole  gentile  world, 
the  four  faces  were  so  highly  venerated,  while  every  where 
tabernacles,  and  mounts,  and  groves,  were  sacred  to  the 
worship  of  the  gods.  Such  a  splendid  and  magnificent 
symbol,  permanently  located  so  near  the  garden  of  Eden, 
and  serving  such  peculiar  and  holy  purposes,  would  be  as 
reverentially  regarded,  as  the  corresponding  levitical  taber- 
nacle was  among  the  jews.  The  knowledge  of  its  early 
erection  by  the  divine  hand,  together  with  all  its  moral  re- 
ferences, would  be  faithfully  transmitted  by  Noah  ;  and  ac- 
quiring even  new  importance  from  the  history  of  the  judg- 
ments which  overtook  the  old  world,  the  symbol  itself  might, 
and  would,  be  preserved,  even  though  its  evangelical  allu- 
sions might  have  become  grossly  perverted.     Look  at  the 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT  353 

analogous  history  of  the  cross,  which,  as  an  emblem  of 
Christianity,  has  been  so  grievously  abused. 

The  particular  object,  which,  it  would  seem  from  our 
translation,  the  cherubim  were  designed  to  serve,  was  to 
guard  the  way  to  the  trees  of  life;  or  to  prevent  man  from 
entering  the  garden,  and  living  on  the  fruit  of  those  trees. 
Of  the  importance  of  that  object,  no  one,  who  has  ever 
examined  the  philosophy  of  human  life,  or  who  has  observed 
how  little  confidence  can  be  reposed  in  the  honorable  feel- 
ings of  human  beings,  can  have  any  doubt.  The  last  lec- 
ture has  evinced  the  relations  which  that  object  sustains  to 
the  theory  here  advanced.  But,  certainly,  it  is  not  neces- 
sary that  we  should  have  a  flaming  sword,  in  order  to  sus- 
tain the  political  operation,  and  to  hold  man  in  perpetual  and 
distressing  fear.  None  of  the  jews,  saving  the  high-priest, 
could  enter  within  the  holiest  of  all.  The  whole  dispensa- 
tion, under  which  they  lived,  was  one  that  was  characteriz- 
ed by  bondage  and  fear.  Were  any  invasions  on  the  sa- 
cred symbols  ever  attempted  ?  Give  to  the  human  mind  the 
idea  of  a  supernatural  agency,  and  immediately  its  sense  of 
guilt  is  waked,  and  all  its  fears  are  roused.  The  present 
emblem  of  the  divine  glory  was,  therefore,  not  to  be  slight- 
ed; nor  could  a  trespass  have  been  committed,  or  an  inva- 
sion of  the  garden  have  occurred,  without  betraying  a  pre- 
vious course  of  wanton  violence,  and  debasing  sensuali- 
ty. All  the  fine  feelings  of  the  human  heart  must,  first  have 
been  desolated  ;  and  society,  in  view  both  of  official  and 
private  character,  must  have  become  abandoned  and  disso- 
lute. Ages  must  have  rolled  by,  infidelity  must  have  been 
triumphant,  and  atheism  herself  have  lisen  in  fearless  and 
haughty  triumph,  before  an  act  of  rebellion,  so  daring  and 
desperate,  could  have  been  attempted. 

It  is,  however,  by  no  means  improbable,  judging  from 
some  scriptural  allusions  which  shall  be  stated,  as  well  as 
from  the  legendary  lore  of  the  pagan  world,  that  such  an 
attempt  was  finally  made,  and  that  it  became  the  ostensible 
occasion  of  introducing  the  flood.  But  if  that  really  was 
the  fact,  it  verifies  the  statement  I  have  made:  for  Moses 
informs  us  that — "God  saw  that  the  wickedness  of  man 
was  great  in  the  earth,  and  that  every  imagination  of  the 
thoughts  of  his  heart  was  only  evil  continually."  The  pre- 
vious circumstances  are  very  rapidly  told.  "The  sons  of 
God,"  it  is  said,  "saw  the  daughters  of  men,  that  they 
were  fair;  and  they  took  them  wives  of  all  which  they 
30* 


354  LECTURES  Off 

chose."  That  is,  the  sons  of  Seth,  or  those  who  minister- 
ed before  the  cherubim,  married  the  daughters  of  Cain  ;  and 
were  ultimately  drawn  into  the  apostacy,  which  the  first 
born  of  our  race  had  commenced.  God,  who  had  long 
forborne  with  the  growing  infidelity,  at  length  proclaims, — 
"  My  Spirit  shall  not  always  strive  with  man  ;"  "  I  will  de- 
stroy man,  whom  I  have  created,  from  the  face  of  the 
earth."    ■ 

Furthermore,  we  are  informed,  that  "there  were  giants 
in  the  earth  in  those  days ;  and  also  mighty  men,  and  men 
of  renown."  Whatever  influence  such  individuals  might 
wield,  or  for  whatever  high  and  lofty  enterprise  they  were 
qualified,,  they  took  the  lead  in  iniquity.  "The  earth  was 
filled  with  violence,"  and  "all  flesh  had  corrupted  his  way 
before  the  Lord."  Noah  alone  "  found  grace  in  the  eyes 
of  the  Lord,"  being  "  a  just  man  and  perfect  in  his  gene- 
rations;   and  he  walked  with  God." 

The  apostle  Peter  alludes  to  these  things  in  his  second 
epistle,  when  he  would  forewarn  the  church  of  coming  tri- 
bulations. "There  were,"  says  he,  "false  prophets  also 
among  the  people,  even  as  there  shall  be  false  teachers 
among  you,  who  privily  shall  bring  in  damnable  heresies, 
even  denying  the  Lord  that  bought  them,  and  bring  upon 
themselves  swift  destruction.  For  if  God  spared  not  the  an- 
gels that  sinned," — the  messengers,  alluding  to  the  official 
men  whom  Moses  calls  the  sons  of  God,  "but  cast  them 
down  to  hell,  (it  is  tarlarus  in  the  original,)  and  delivered 
them  into  chains  of  darkness,  to  be  reserved  unto  judgment, 
and  spared  not  the  old  world,  but  saved  Noah,  the  eighth 
person,  a  preacher  of  righteousness,  bringing  in  the  flood 
upon  the  world  of  the  ungodly, — he  knoweth  how  to  deli- 
ver the  godly  out  of  temptations,  and  to  reserve  the  unjust 
unto  the  day  of  judgment,  to  be  punished  :  but  chiefly  them 
that  walk  after  the  flesh  in  the  lust  of  uncleanness,  and 
despise  government.  Presumptuous  are  they,  self-willed; 
they  are  not  afraid  to  speak  evil  of  dignities."* 

Jude  is  even  more  explicit.  He  says — "  And  the  angels 
which  kept  not  their  first  estate,  principality,  but  left  their 
own  habitation,  he  hath  reserved  in  everlasting  chains  un- 
der darkness  unto  the  judgment  of  the  great  day.  Even  as 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  and  the  cities  about  them,  in  like 
manner  to  these,  giving  themselves  over  to  fornication, 
and  going  after  strange  flesh,  are  set  forth  for  an  example, 

*2Pet.  ii.  1-10. 


Moral  government.  355 

suffering  the  vengeance  of  eternal  fire.  Likewise,  also, 
these  filthy  dreamers  defile  the  flesh,  despise  dominion,  and 
speak  evil  of  dignities."* 

The  phrase,  which  occurs  in  our  translation, — in  like  man- 
ner,— does  not  accurately  render  the  original;  because  the 
masculine  pronoun,  which  has  no  antecedent  but  angels,  is 
left  out.  The  sentence  ought  to  read, — in  like  manner  to 
these,  meaning  these  angels  ;  as  any  one  may  easily  dis- 
cover by  turning  to  the  passage  in  the  greek  testament. 
Of  course,  the  angels,  who  kept  not  their  first  estate, 
could  not  be,  as  generally  supposed,  fallen  spirits  of  the 
angelic  hosts;  but  must  necessarily  be  the  sons  of  God,  or 
the  official  men  of  the  antediluvian  age.  The  term  angel, 
must,  therefore,  be  understood  in  its  general  sense,  or  mere- 
ly means  a  messenger;  a  sense  in  which  it  is  very  often 
used.  The  reference  to  these  individuals  being  thus  plain, 
the  description  of  their  crimes  is  appropriate  enough. — 
They  deported  themselves  like  the  sodomites,  and  were  not 
only  given  up  to  the  most  debasing  licentiousness,  but  were 
presumptuous,  despised  dominion,  and  spoke  evil  of  dignities. 
They  might,  then,  have  grown  haughty  and  insolent  enough 
to  have  attempted  an  invasion  of  this  hallowed  spot,  and 
the  desecration  of  these  hallowed  cherubic  emblems  of  the 
mediatorial  constitution.  And  as  fire  was  rained  down 
from  heaven  upon  the  guilty  sodomites,  it  is  not  at  all  im- 
probable that  some  such  fiery  symbols  of  divine  vengeance 
might  have  burst  upon  them,  cleaving  fissures  in  the  ground, 
whence  the  waters  of  the  flood  issued. 

Whether  our  conjecture  be  correct  or  not,  the  pagan  tra- 
ditions relate  the  story  in  that  form.  To  give  the  account 
to  you  in  the  language  of  another: — "In  gentile  lore,  the 
titans,  or  giants,  are  described  as  being  the  offspring  of 
heaven  and  earth  ;  but,  plunging  into  the  most  audacious 
wickedness,  they  madly  dared  to  scale  the  very  mount  of 
God,  and  to  wage  war  against  the  high  majesty  of  the  om- 
nipotent. Their  attempt,  however,  proved  abortive  :  their 
ranks  were  broken  by  hot  thunderbolts  :  and  they  were  pre- 
cipitated into  the  central  tartarus,  where  they  lie  bound 
with  chains  of  brass  in  a  dungeon  of  adamant."  And  why 
should  not  such  traditions  be  common,  or  why  should  they 
not  be  considered  worthy  of  attention?  Gentiles  and  jews 
had  a  common  origin ;  and  Moses  writes  with  such  aston- 
ishing brevity,  that  we  know  not  how  to  explain  it,  unless 

•Verses  6—8. 


356  LECTURES  ON 

it  be  by  supposing  that  he  presumed  upon  the  knowledge 
of  the  facts,  carried  by  tradition  through  all  the  world. — 
Putting  all  these  things  together,  it  would  seem  that  the  para- 
disiacal cherubim  formed  the  permanent  and  chief  antedilu- 
vian symbol  of  God's  gracious  d<  -  o  behalf  of  the  chil- 
dren of  men  ;  and  that  they  served  a  purpose,  analogous  to 
that  of  the  levitical  cherubim, placed  in  a  tabernacle  among 
the  children  of  Israel.* 

What  may  have  been  the  precise  import  of  these  four 
faces,  I  feel  myself  unable  to  determine.  They  certainly 
were  expressive  of  some  things  which  were  characteristic 
of  mankind.  But  whether  they  referred  to  certain  attributes 
which  belong  to  man  in  general,  such  as  labor,  dominion, 
intelligence,  immortality;  or  whether  they  were  intended  to 
refer  to  certain  periods  in  the  history  of  man.  and  to  de- 
scribe the  character  of  official  men  during  those  periods,  as 
some  think  was  the  intention  of  the  living  creatures  in  the 
apocalypse,!  I  cannot  clearly  satisfy  my  mind.  Mr.  Faber 
supposes  these  symbols  to  have  been  altogether  arbitrary. 
I  cannot  agree  with  his  view;  yet  lean  offer  no  reasonable 
conjectures,  other  than  those  which  I  have  just  stated,  as 
to  the  individual  signification  of  the  animal  figures,  which 
were  compounded  together  in  this  singular  form. 

If  the  hypothesis  concerning  the  cherubim,  which  has 
been  stated,  and,  as  I  think,  proved,  in  the  preceding  para- 
graphs, be  correct,  it  prepares  the  way  for  the  consideration 
of  sacrifice,  as  a  divine  institution.  If  there  was  such  a 
permanent  emblem  of  the  divine  presence,  a  patriarchal 
and  antediluvian  shechinah  ;  or,  if  God  was  pleased,  in  this 
symbolic  manner,  to  tabernacle  with  Adam  and  his  chil- 
dren: then  some  external  services  must  have  devolved  on 
them,  as  they  sought  an  audience  before  Jehovah.  Call 
back  our  argument  on  the  nature  and  necessity  of  religious 
forms.  The  cherubim,  situated  as  has  been  described,  only 
furnishes  the  tabernacle,  as  inhabited  by  the  divine  presence. 
The  service,  appropriate,  expressive,  and  familiar,  must  yet 
be  provided.  What  was  that  service?  What  religious 
forms  did  it  prescribe  ?     Necessarily  compelled  to  pursue 

*  Any  one  who  wishes  to  see  the  subjeet  of  the  cherubim  discussed 
at  large,  and  with  great  variety  of  talent  and  literature,  may  consult 
Parkhursfs  Heb.  Lex.  on  the  word  :  Faber's  Orig.  of  Pag.  Idol.  vol.  1, 
pp.  403 — 464:  vol.  3,  pp.  602—661.  In  which  works  references  maybe 
found  to  others  which  I  have  not  seen  : — Bates,  Sharp,  Hutchinson, 
Spenser,  Hales,  Sec. 

|  See  Johnstone  on  the  Revelations,  iv.  7. 


Moral  government.  357 

this  inquiry,  we  cannot  be  surprised  to  find  frequent  allu- 
sions and  instances  of  a  sacrificial  kind  ;  while  yet  the  or- 
dinance itself  may  not  have  been  distinctly  traced  by  the 
historian  to  its  origin.  Incidental  cases  are  enough.  The 
circumstance,  recorded  by  Moses,  viz.  that  "  unto  Adam 
and  his  wife  did  the  Lord  God  make  coats  of  skins,  and 
clothed  them,"  which  has  often  given  rise  to  the  question — 
whence  were  these  skins  obtained  ?  the  facts  which  occur- 
red in  the  history  of  Cain  and  Abel,  and  which  are  stated 
in  the  fourth  chapter;  the  subsequent  and  universal  prac- 
tice of  offering  sacrifice  ;  and  the  history  of  the  mosaic  ri- 
tual ; — these  things,  combined  with  the  erection  of  the  para- 
disiacal tabernacle,  produce  irrefragable  demonstration,  that 
this  propitiatory  service  was  established  by  divine  authority. 

The  apostle  Paul  affords  a  coincident  view,  when  alluding 
to  these  early  transactions,  he  avers,  that — "By  faith  Abel 
offered  unto  God  a  more  excellent  sacrifice  than  Cain,  by 
which  he  obtained  witness  that  he  was  righteous,  God  testi- 
fying of  his  gifts."*  Sacrifice,  at  that  period,  the  sacrifice 
of  life  in  the  worship  of  God,  is,  by  this  inspired  commen- 
tator, declared  to  be  the  product  of  faith, — to  be  a  righteous 
act, — to  be  acceptable  to  Jehovah, — and  to  have  obtained 
an  immediate  response  from  on  high.  God  did  take  a  part 
in  these  transactions,  both  Moses  and  Paul  being  witnesses. 
Such  are  the  moral  connexions  which  sacrifice  holds,  down 
through  the  whole  biblical  history.  They  appeared  whenNoah 
builded  an  altar,  and  the  Lord  "smelled  an  odour  of  rest," 
as  also  when  Abraham,  on  mount  Moriah,  received  the  ap- 
probation of  the  angel,  and  had  the  resurrection  from  the  dead 
so  beautifully  portrayed  to  him.  Both  were  official  men, 
of  high  character  and  holy  renown;  and  both  are  celebrated 
as  being  "  the  heir  of  the  righteousness  of  faith."  If  sac- 
rifice then  has  been  so  intimately,  and  so  constantly,  asso- 
ciated with  the  mediatorial  system ;  if  it  has  been  uniformly 
recognzied  by  God,  and  has  ever  distinguished  holy  men; 
any  doubt  of  its  divine  original  must  be  worse  than  fastidious. 

But  further.  Sacrifice  has  been  enjoined,  as  necessary, 
all  over  the  world.  It  is  evident,  too,  that  the  rite  existed  in 
every  nation  before  the  commencement  of  authentic  history ; 
and  the  idea,  that  the  gods  were  to  be  appeased  in  this 
manner,  was  as  general  as  the  right  itself.  These  facts 
every  one  knows,  who  has  any  acquaintance  with  pagan 
history,  or  gentile  mythology.     Certainly  a  practice  so  sin^ 

•Heb.  xi.  4. 


35S  LECTURES   ON 

gular  and  yet  so  universal,  must  be  traced  back  to  some 
common  origin;  to  a  period,  and  to  circumstances,  such  as 
these  which  Moses  describes;  when  he  relates  that  the  first 
pair,  guilty  and  wretched,  approached  to  humble  themselves 
before  the  Lord.  No  room  is  left  for  the  ridiculous  charge 
of  priestcraft,  seeing  that  Adam  was  priest  in  his  own  fami- 
ly ;  and,  as  other  priests  did  after  him,  offered  sacrifice  at  his 
own  expense.  Or,  as  Delaney  has  observed, — "  After  this, 
when  fathers  grew  up  into  princes,  by  the  increase  of  their 
families  ;  the  priesthood,  we  know,  became  an  appendage  of 
royalty  :  and  sacrifices  were  then  at  the  sacrificer's  expense. 

"We  also  know,  that  libations,  and  offerings  of  several 
kinds,  were  the  constant  practice  of  private  men  in  their 
own  families;  and  that  priests  had  no  perquisites  from  them: 
nor  can  they,  with  any  color  of  reason,  be  suspected  to  have 
had  any  emolument  of  any  kind,  from  this  practice,  in  any 
region  of  the  earth,  till  more  than  two  thousand  years  from 
the  first  institution  of  this  rite;  though,  if  they  had,  it  is  ev- 
ident, that  the  advantages  derived  upon  any  particular  set  of 
men,  from  any  practice,  are  far  from  being  a  proof,  that  such 
a  practice  had  no  original  foundation,  but  in  the  subtlety 
and  interest  of  that  particular  set  of  men.  In  truth,  the  sup- 
position is  as  absurd,  as  any  thing  can  well  be  imagined: 
and  will  affect  every  profession  under  heaven,  as  well  as  the 
priesthood;  from  the  prince  on  the  throne,  to  the  meanest 
officer  and  artisan  in  the  commonwealth:  nay,  in  truth,  will 
affect  every  profession  in  the  world,  much  more  than  the 
priesthood;  because  that  is  the  only  profession,  which  was 
originally  disinterested,  in  the  discharge  of  duty  proper  unto 
it."* 

We  shall  reach  the  same  conclusion,  if  we  inquire  into 
the  nature  and  design  of  the  sacrificial  rite.  Its  wisdom  and 
propriety  will  be  no  inconsiderable  adjuvants,  in  sustaining 
the  influence  drawn  from  its  universality,  and  from  the  im- 
possibility of  tracing  its  origin,  without  following  mankind 
up  to  a  common  parentage.  But,  if  I  mistake  not,  the 
general  opinion  is.  that  the  institution  is  altogether  arbitrary  ; 
that  it  results  neither  from  the  light  of  nature,  nor  the  prin- 
ciples of  reason;  and  that  there  is  no  discernible  connexion 
between  the  blood  of  a  slain  animal  and  the  pardon  of  an 
offender's  sin.     From  this  view  of  the  divine   ordinance, 

*  Delaney's  Rev.  Exam.  vol.  1.  p.  p.  129 — 30.  See  also  Faber's 
Orig.  of  Pag.  Idol,  vol.  1,  p.  p.  465—496  ;  and  Faber's  Orig.  of  Exp. 

Sac. 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  359 

though  advanced  and  defended  by  men  of  high  literary  char- 
acter, I  am  under  the  necessity  of  dissenting.  I  do  not 
think  that  any  religious  institution,  which  Jehovah  has  es- 
tablished, is  arbitrary.  There  is  a  reason,  good  and  suffi- 
cient, for  every  such  institution;  a  reason  too,  which  results 
from  the  object  to  be  gained,  and  which  is  very  near: — often- 
times so  near,  that  it  is  not  perceived,  merely  because  our 
long  vision  is  ever  looking  after  something  distant  and 
mysterious.  All  the  different  systems  which  God  has  created, 
and  all  the  different  parts  of  each  system,  are  accurately  ad- 
justed, and  sustain  reciprocal  relations  most  happily  arrang- 
ed. In  the  operation  of  established  law;  both  physical  and 
moral,  the  highest  confidence  may  be  reposed.  God  acts 
upon  them,  and  men  must  reason  and  decide  in  consistency 
with  them. 

The  particular  institutions,  which  belonged  to  the  para- 
disiacal state,  were  all  enforced  by  good  and  apparent  rea- 
sons. The  sabbath  was  intended  to  record  and  memorise 
the  creation  of  the  world,  and  to  wake  up  in  the  bosom  of 
man  all  those  feelings  with  which  that  subject  should  inspire 
him.  The  social  relations  were  foimed,  because  it  was  not 
good  for  man  to  be  alone.  Man  was  entrusted  with  do- 
minion, because  the  intellectual  powers,  with  which  he  was 
endowed,  qualified  him  for  such  an  extended  sphere  of  ac- 
tion;  because  he  acts  by  means  of  secondary  agents;  and 
because  he  was  made  in  the  image  of  God,  whose  high  pre- 
rogative it  is  to  govern  his  creatures,  and  whose  glory  con- 
sists in  conducting  his  administration  upon  the  wisest  and 
most  benevolent  principles.  The  institutions  after  the  fall 
must  be  equally  well  sustained.  The  cherubim,  the  taber- 
nacle, and  the  accompanying  ritual,  must  all  be  commended 
to  the  human  mind,  as  needful  and  salutary.  Their  pro- 
priety must  be  perceived,  and  be  sufficiently  obvious  to  meet 
every  objection  which  reason  could  suggest,  or  unbelief  ad- 
vance. So  God  defended  them  in  his  argument  with  Cain, 
appealing  to  his  own  good  sense,  and  comparing  the  evan- 
gelic provisions  along  with  the  ill-humored  complaints  of 
the  haughty  and  discontented  rebel. — "If  thou  doest  well, 
shalt  thou  not  be  accepted?  And  if  not,  a  sin-offering 
coucheth  at  the  door." 

In  like  manner,  some  subsequent  changes  in  the  number, 
or  the  appendages  of  the  divine  institutions,  are  explained  by 
a  reference  to  circumstances.  The  growth  of  society  ren- 
dered it  more  difficult  of  management,   and  required  some 


360  LECTURES  ON 

new  and  appropriate  regulations.  "Within  given  periods, 
excitement  seems  to  expend  itself;  and  while  the  principles 
of  moral  science  must  remain  the  same,  yet  the  outward 
forms,  under  which  they  are  expressed,  or  with  which 
thev  are  associated,  must  be  modified.  Both  God  and  man 
seem,  by  providential  experiments,  to  have  ascertained  the 
necessity  for  such  periodical  revolutions; — or  ages,  as  they 
have  been  calied  in  both  the  pagan  and  elect  worlds.  Read 
the  antediluvian  and  postdiluvian  histories;  analyse  the 
mosaic  law,  which  is  so  full  of  corrections  of  the  prevailing 
corruptions  of  the  nations;  and  of  allowances  on  account 
of  Jewish  obstinacy.  Look  at  the  occurrences  under  the 
christian  dispensation; — call  up  the  reformation  to  view,  and 
witness  the  present  perplexity  and  disquietude,  when  the 
church  has  outgrown,  and  seeks  to  throw  off,  the  forms  of 
past  ages.  There  is  always  sufficient  reason  for  such  things ; 
and  while  they  have  been  foretold  by  him  who  sees  the  end 
from  the  beginning,  they  are  even  ushered  in  by  signs,  com- 
petent and  distinct. 

The  reasons  for  sacrifice  are  not  very  difficult  of  discove- 
rv.  Denv  its  primitive  enactment,  and  no  other  ordinance 
appears  to  take  its  place;  while  yet  the  nature  of  man,  and 
the  uniform  mode  of  the  divine  proceeding  with  him,  argue 
the  necessity  of,  and  call  for,  some  religious  forms,  by  which 
men  should  visibly  profess  their  faith  and  their  feelings;  and 
which  would  be  acceptable  with  God.  The  accompanying 
facts,  developed  in  the  history  of  Adam's  family,  as  well  as 
that  of  all  other  ages,  become  entirely  unaccountable  ;  or 
exhibit  man  acting  consistently  with  his  own  constitution, 
while  God  himself  wholly  disregards  it.  Nor  only  so.  But 
Jehovah  had  put  man  under  the  mediatorial  govern- 
ment, by  declaring  that  "  the  seed  of  the  woman  should 
bruise  the  head  of  the  serpent;"  and  yet  enjoined  no  duties 
in  connexion  with  the  gracious  system.  All  other  things 
are  shadowed  out  by  external  ceremony;  and  their  know- 
ledge is  both  preserved  and  disseminated,  by  being  associated 
with  the  actions  of  mankind.  As  far  as  I  can  perceive, 
there  is  no  subject,  in  reference  to  which  the  sceptic's  fears, 
or  the  critic's  literature,  has  been  more  entirely  at  war  with 
the  elements  of  society,  or  the  facts  which  fill  up  the  history 
of  the  world. 

The  sacrificial  institution  consisted  in  the  offering  up  of 
life,  with  a  view  to  the  pardon  of  sin.  By  sin  death  had 
been  just  introduced.      Scarcely  had  the  matter  been  adju- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  361 

dicated,  when  the  Lord  himself  clothed  the  transgressors 
with  coats  of  skin.  The  facts  connected  with  the  fall,  the 
remedy,  the  divine  actions  in  setting  up  the  tabernacle,  and 
clothing  our  first  parents,  are  all  crowded  together,  as  be- 
longing to  the  same  general  concern,  and  leave  us  no  alter- 
native. We  must  interpret  the  ordinance  as  a  divine  en- 
actment, and  explain  it  by  the  associations  in  which  it  is 
found.  Its  character  is  obviously  mediatorial.  Its  reference 
is  evidently,  on  the  one  hand,  to  the  sin  of  Adam,  by  which 
death  had  been  incurred  ;  and  on  the  other,  to  the  death  of 
Christ,  by  which  life  should  be  restored.  And  it  would, 
therefore,  readily  serve  as  a  divine  comment  upon  the  pre- 
sent state  of  the  world,  by  tracing  up  all  our  sufferings  to 
sin,  as  their  cause;  while  it  would  be  equally  explanatory, 
of  the  official  relations,  of  the  promised  "seed  of  the  woman." 
There  is,  under  such  a  view  of  the  ordinance,  nothing 
forced,  or  far-fetched,  or  arbitrary  about  it.  It  is  evidently 
natural,  appropriate,  and  expressive;  and  on  the  supposition 
that  moral  truth  must  be  symbolised  to  the  human  mind,  it 
was  necessary,  by  such  an  institution,  to  explain  the  moral 
circumstances  of  mankind,  as  well  as  the  remedial  provi- 
sions of  divine  grace. 

Certain  it  is,  while  Moses  appears  to  take  it  for  granted, 
that  the  nature  of  sacrifice,  as  it  had  existed  before  the  sinaic 
ritual  was  enacted,  was  fully  understood  in  its  reference  to 
the  practical  consequences  of  sin,  and  in  its  alliance  with 
the  doctrine  of  the  righteousness  of  faith ; — certain  it  is,  I 
say,  that  he,  and  all  the  subsequent  scriptural  writers,  do 
place  the  mosaic  sacrifice  in  those  connexions.  Under  the 
law,  "without  the  shedding  of  blood  there  was  no  remission." 
Vet  it  never  was  pretended  that  the  blood  of  bulls  and  of 
goats  could  take  away  sin  ;  or  that  Jehovah  had  any  plea- 
sure in  burnt-offerings,  on  their  own  account.  All  these 
things  were  merely  figures  for  the  time  then  present.  The 
Holy  Ghost,  who,  as  the  Spirit  of  prophecy,  is  the  testimony 
of  Jesus,  did  thereby  "signify,"  or  exhibit  in  typical  form, 
"better  things  to  come."  With  this  intention,  these  sacri- 
ficial services  resembled,  in  appearance,  that  of  which  they 
were  the  shadow.  The  offering  of  life,  and  that  for  sin, 
whereby  the  captain  of  our  salvation  was  made  perfect,  could 
not  have  been  otherwise  symbolised ;  nor  could  the  nature 
of  the  divine  government,  as  connecting  sin  and  death,  on 
the  one  hand,  and  righteousness  and  life,  on  the  other,  have 
been  significantly  set  forth.  The  reason  of  the  redeemer's 
31 


362  LECTURES  ON 

righteousness,  as  including  his  sufferings,  is  very  plain,  and 
that  of  the  previous  emblem  could  not  be  occult. 

But  the  grand  reason  of  any  institution,  is  to  be  found  in 
its  adaptation  to  produce  a  desired  effect.  If  there  is  no 
practical  efficiency  exerted,  if  as  an  actively  operating  cause 
it  accomplishes  nothing,  the  ordinance  is  useless.  In  the 
present  case,  legally  speaking,  righteousness  secures  life. — 
Accordingly,  as  we  have  seen,  by  the  righteousness  of  Christ 
all  men  are  brought  into  a  justification  of  life  ;  and  his  right- 
eousness is  preached  to  mankind'as  the  object  of  their  faith. 
Could  sacrifice  then,  or  did  it,  so  prefigure  the  finished  work 
of  the  Son  of  God,  as  to  serve  this  practical  purpose,  or  lead 
men  to  believe  ?  If  it  did,  the  reason,  and  a  sufficient  rea- 
son, for  the  institution,  immediately  presents  itself  to  every 
one.  Accordingly  the  old  testament  saints,  including  the 
early  patriarchs,  are  distinguished  by  their  faith  in  the  pro- 
mised Messiah.  They  looked  forward  to  the  redeemer's 
day  ;  sung  of  his  priestly  character,  of  his  sacrificial  sorrows, 
and  of  his  glorious  triumphs;  and  endured  as  though  they 
were  fully  persuaded  that  he  would  appear  as  their  de- 
liverer. All  this  they  did,  in  connexion  with  the  offering  of 
sacrifice. 

But  again.  The  object  of  the  redeemer's  righteousness, 
was  to  place  mankind  in  a  situation  where  they  might  meet 
their  personal  responsibilities  ;  and  to  furnish  them  with  all 
necessary  facilities,  considering  "the  weakness  of  their  flesh." 
Their  obligations  would  then  call  upon  them  to  forsake  sin, 
and  do  the  thing  that  is  right.  This  end  being  accomplish- 
ed, the  designs  of  Jehovah,  in  view  of  the  existence  of  man, 
are  answered.  Could  the  ancient  sacrifice,  typifying  Christ, 
and  eliciting  the  operations  of  faith,  exert  any  agency  in  in- 
stituting, or  sustaining,  this  progressive  sanctification  ?  If 
it  could,  then  again,  the  reason,  and  a  sufficient  reason  too, 
for  this  institution,  appears  with  great  distinctness.  If  any 
symbolic  rite  shall  accomplish  the  most  valuable  purposes, 
and  present  the  very  similitude  of  the  object  desired,  what 
more  can  be  demanded  in  legislating  for  man  ?  He  gets  his 
ideas  by  means  of  his  external  senses  ;  and  the  exhibition 
which  is  capable  of  affording  to  him,  through  those  senses, 
the  very  ideas  which  he  needs,  accords  precisely  with  the 
peculiarities  of  his  nature.  That  the  sacrificial  ceremony 
did  occupy  this  very  place,  and  serve  this  very  purpose,  is 
evident  on  its  face  ;  is  distinctly  unfolded  in  history  ;  and  is 
officially  announced  in  the  scriptures.     How  then  can  bibli- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  363 

cal  critics,  or  moral  philosophers,  assert  that  this  rite  results 
neither  from  the  light  of  nature,  nor  the  principles  of  reason  ? 
They  might  as  well  represent  the  whole  mediatorial  system 
to  be  unnatural  and  irrational. 

Pardon  of  sin  was  confessedly  connected  with  the  sacrifi- 
cial ordinance.  And  why  should  it  not  be  so  connected? 
If  its  legal  associations,  if  its  emblematic  allusions,  and  its 
practical  operations,  were  such  as  have  been  described,  par- 
don might  well  be  extended.  What  more  could  be  desired 
than  faith  in  the  saviour,  and  the  sanctification  of  the  hu- 
man spirit  ?  Call  the  institution  by  what  name  you  please, 
apply  whatever  term  may  be  employed  to  express  its  rela- 
tions, the  moral  is  very  plain.  The  difficulties  which  critics 
may  suggest,  or  philologists  exaggerate,  are  superficial. — 
The  sanctification  of  the  human  mind  is  the  paramount  ob- 
ject of  concern.  All  the  claims  of  the  divine  law  quadrate 
with  it,  and  every  perfection  of  godhead  is  displayed  in  its 
own  untarnished  glory,  when  the  reconciled  man  is  brought 
home  to  heaven,  redeemed  and  blessed.  If  pardon  of  sin 
shall  correspond  with  the  requisitions  of  the  law,  and  with 
sanctified  and  glorified  humanity,  no  reason  can  be  assign- 
ed why  pardon  should  be  withheld. 

Accordingly,  while  the  typical  sacrifice  is  represented  as 
an  atonement,  it  is  sustained  in  that  view,  only  because  it  is 
associated  with  the  reconciliation,  or  sanctification  of  the 
human  mind.  Burnt  offerings,  presented  as  a  mere  formal- 
ity, Jehovah  again  and  again  most  indignantly  rejects. — 
"Your  new  moons  and  your  appointed  feasts  my  soul  ha- 
teth  :  they  are  a  trouble  unto  me;  I  am  weary  to  bear  them. 
And  when  ye  spread  forth  your  hands,  I  will  hide  mine  eyes 
from  you  :  yea,  when  ye  make  many  prayers,  I  will  not  hear: 
your  hands  are  full  of  blood.  Wash  you  ;  make  you  clean  ; 
put  away  the  evil  of  your  doings  from  before  mine  eyes; 
cease  to  do  evil;  learn. to  do  well;  seek  judgment;  relieve 
the  oppressed  ;  judge  the  fatherless  ;  plead  for  the  widow."* 
Let  your  own  good  sense  decide  ; — of  what  use  can  a  sac- 
rifice, or  prayer,  or  any  other  form  be,  where  the  moral  at- 
tributes, which  should  distinguish  a  thinking  spirit,  are  want- 
ing? But  if  such  forms  lead  man  to  think,  feel  and  act  cor- 
rectly ;  if  as  outward  means  they  represent  to  him  moral 
things  under  visible  symbol ;  if  they  become  the  occasion 
and  opportunity  of  his  expressing  his  own  desires  and  inten- 
tions, or  of  his  exemplifying  before  others  that  which  is  right; 

*Js,  j.  13—20, 


364  LECTURES  ON 

what  rational  objection  can  be  urged  against  them  ?  Or  if, 
when  they  are  rejected,  the  very  principle  of  human  action, 
and  of  social  intercourse,  is  abandoned,  by  what  argument 
can  such  dereliction  be  justified  ? 

The  idea  of  merit,  figures  so  largely  in  religious  contro- 
versy, and  is  so  distinctly  discerned  at  every  turn  we  take ; 
that  it  is  very  likely  it  may  have  distorted  the  views  which 
anxious  moralists  have  formed  on  the  subject  of  sacrifice. 
What  merit  can  there  be  in  a  burnt  offering?     Hecatombs 
might  smoke,  and  rivers  of  oil  might  flow,  but  what  merit 
would  be  evinced  ?     An  ordinance,  constructed  on  this  prin- 
ciple, cannot  be  traced  to  reason,  or  to  the  light  of  nature. 
The  practical  effect  on  the  spirit  of  man,  produced  by  an 
excitement  that  is  created,  and  under  which  his  own  pow- 
ers are   called  out  into  action  ;    an  effect  which   elevates 
while  it  sanctifies,  which  controls  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  over- 
comes the  world,  and  enables  the  believer  to  rise  superior  to 
temptation  ;  is  the  only  object  which  regeneration  can  con- 
template ;  and  constitutes  the  worth  of  the  righteousness  of 
Christ,  as  well  as  of  its  various  emblems,  both  ancient  and  mo- 
dern. Discarding  this  theological  figment  of  merit ;  or  substi- 
tuting the  loftier  thought  of  practical  agency  acting  consist- 
ently with   our  intellectual   nature ;    any  ordinance   might 
command  confidence,  and  recompense  the  heart  that  devo- 
tedly  ministers  under  its   direction.     This   idea,   duly  ap- 
preciated and  conscientiously  sustained,  can  alone  guaranty 
the  contemplated  benefits  of  religious  forms. 

With  all  the  light  that  the  new  dispensation  affords,  the 
nature  of  its  ordinances,  simple  and  expressive  as  they  are, 
has  been  misapprehended.  Theologians  have  commenced 
their  argument  on  erroneous  principles ;  and  those  princi- 
ples throw  their  shade  over  every  thing  belonging  to  the  sys- 
tems, of  which  they  are  a  part.  By  Adam's  sin,  all  men  are 
brought  into  temporal,  spiritual,  and  eternal  death,  we  have 
been  taught.  Consequently  every  thing  like  personal  re- 
sponsibility is  absorbed  in  the  imputation  of  that  sin.  Then 
again,  a  corresponding  operation  is  predicated  of  Christ's 
righteousness  in  relation  to  the  elect,  and  every  thing  is 
merged  in  a  second  imputation.  Many,  it  is  true,  have  con- 
demned this  doctrine  ;  but  I  do  not  see  that  they  have  fairly 
and  fully  met  the  argument  of  its  advocates.  How  should 
they  ?  Both  parties  start  from  the  same  point,  and  carry 
with  them  the  same  original  principles;  and  the  doctrine 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  365 

referred  to  casts  its  gloom  over  every  theory  with  which  it  is 
brought  into  contact. 

Look  at  the  facts.  Baptism  has  been  represented  by  some 
to  be  regeneration.     By  others,  it  has  been  declared  alto- 
gether irrational  to  administer  that  ordinance  to  infants  ; 
because,  it  is  said,  they  cannot  understand  the  objects  pro- 
posed.    A  type  or  symbol  cannot  be  the  thing,  which  is  ty- 
pified or  symbolised ;  and  methinks,  any  one  might  discern 
that  it  is  therefore  utterly  impossible,  that  baptism  should  be 
regeneration.     And  if  the  blessing  symbolised  by  baptism, 
may  be  brought  to  infants,  there  can  be  no  impropriety  in 
administering  the  symbol,  which  is  nothing  more  than  an 
outward  exhibition  of  that  blessing. — "The  promise  i§  to 
you  and  your  children;" — "of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  hea- 
ven."    Thus  the  scriptures  often  speak,  endeavoring  to  im- 
press, on  the  minds  of  the  religious  community,  a  sense  of 
the  interest  which   Jehovah  takes  in  their  offspring.     On 
what  principle  then,  can  an  outward  symbol  of  that  interest 
be  rejected  as  improper  and  absurd? — Without  touching  the 
question,  whether  baptism  has  been  a  designed  substitute 
for  circumcision,  I  yet  call  up  the  fact  that  Jewish  children 
were  circumcised;  while  it  was  utterly  impossible  that  they 
should  understand  its  import,  as  a  "seal  of  the  righteousness 
of  faith."     But  circumcision  was  a  symbol,  shadowing  out 
certain  blessings,  as  constituting  an  inheritance  in  which 
parents  and  their  children  had  a  common  right.     If  one  in- 
stance of  such  a  use  of  an  external  religious  form,  has   oc- 
curred, and  that  under  the  positive  direction  of  Jehovah  him- 
self;  surely  they  have  gone  far  astray,  who  pronounce  a  se- 
cond instance  to  be  absurd.     But  that  instance  stands  not 
alone.  All  our  children  live  under  the  light  of  sun,  moon,  and 
stars;  enjoying  the  protection,  and  feasting  upon  the  boun- 
ties, of  a  divine  providence,  most  profoundly  philosophical 
in  all  its  operations  ;  while,  perhaps,  neither  they  nor  their 
parents  understand  any  thing  of  the  accurate  and  varied  con- 
nexion between  cause  and  effect.     This  dogma,  if  carried 
out,  would  stop  the  course  of  nature,  and  leave  mankind  to 
starve  and  die,  unless,  they  should  become  philosophers.    It 
is  mournful  to  observe  how  inconsiderately  men  reason  on 
religious  subjects,  when  they  have  some  sectarian  trifle  to  sus- 
tain. They  forget  the  analogies  of  nature,  and  drop  entirely  the 
most  familiar  principles  belonging  to  physics,  the  moment 
they  enter  the  region  of  morals.     It  is  no  wonder  there  are 
so  many  sectaries,  and  so  many  controversies.     Thus  men 
31* 


366  LECTURES  ON 

close  their  eyes  on  the  constituent  elements  of  the  divine 
works,  and  then  undertake  to  explain  them.  These  two 
views  of  baptism,  I  have  quoted,  seem  to  me  to  be  very 
much  alike.  They  both  mistake  the  type  for  the  thing- 
typified. 

The  Lord's  supper  has  been  treated  in  the  same  manner. 
The  bread  has  been  represented  to  be  the  literal  flesh,  and 
the  wine  to  be  the  literal  blood,  of  the  redeemer.  Here  the 
misconstruction  is  so  palpable  and  egregious,  that  it  is  mat- 
ter of  wonder,  that  christian  ears  should  ever  have  heard  it 
uttered.  But,  even  those,  whose  prejudices  call  for  no  such 
impropriety,  and  who  instantly  reject  it  when  stated,  feel  all 
the  "superstitious  awe  which  that  view  of  the  ordinance 
would  inspire.  Many  have  refused  to  commemorate  the 
saviour's  death,  through  a  long  life,  who  have  mourned  over, 
and  anxiously  sought  to  correct,  their  error,  when  on  a  bed 
of  death;  as  though  the  elements  really  possessed  some  in- 
trinsic virtue  to  save  the  soul,  in  the  last  extremity.  Others 
comply  with  the  injunction  ;  but  year  after  year,  they  ap- 
proach the  table  with  trembling  steps,  and  handle  the  sym- 
bols with  fearful  hearts,  as  though  they  were  about  to  "eat 
and  drink  damnation"  to  themselves.  Their  single  inquiry 
iSj — "am  I  a  christian?"  A  very  important  question,  it  is 
true.  The  ordinance  should  certainly  be  observed  in  a  be- 
coming manner,  and  with  proper  views  and  feelings.  But 
an  inquiry,  embracing  such  like  matters,  belongs  to  every 
duty  we  perform,  to  every  trial  we  endure,  and  to  every 
privilege  we  enjoy.  Man,  as  personally  responsible,  should 
possess  a  spiritual  mind,  sanctified  affections,  and  a  good 
conscience  in  all  things.  The  question  here  is,  wherein 
is  the  Lord's  supper  distinguished;  or  what  is  its  peculiarity! 
That  peculiarity  should  be  the  special  matter  of  thought, 
when  we  consider  the  obligation  which  the  ordinance  im- 
poses on  us.  Therein  the  Lord  Jesus  symbolically  exhibits 
himself  as  crucified  for  us,  as  loving  us  unto  the  death,  and 
giving  himself  for  us.  There  is  nothing  so  alarming  in  this, 
that  the  people  should  be  afraid  to  draw  nigh,  and  contem- 
plate and  enjoy  the  testimony,  or  representation,  of  his  love. 
On  our  part,  he  requires,  that  we  should  "show  forth,"  pro- 
claim, herald,  or  preach,  his  death ;  with  a  view  of  exciting 
the  attention,  and  achieving  the  reformation,  of  those  who 
are  around  us.  Is  there  any  thing  painful,  or  forbidding,  in 
a  ceremony  which  looks  to  such  results  ?  Are  you  a  patriot, 
and  do  you  love   your  country?     Are  you  a  father,  and  do 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  367 

you  love  your  children?  Are  you  a  friend,  and  do  you  love 
your  companions?  Would  you  not  seek  their  welfare?  Are 
you  afraid  to  let  them  understand  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of 
God,  and  that  he  died  for  you  ?  Or  would  you  lead  them,  by 
absenting  yourselves  on  such  occasions,  to  suppose,  that 
you  do  not  believe  in  the  saviour  of  the  world?  Or  as  long 
as  you  do  not  keep  this  sacramental  feast,  do  you  not  feel 
that  the  obligation,  to  live  a  holy  life,  is  comparatively  light? 

But  the  view  of  the  Lord's  supper,  implied  in  the  preced- 
ing observations  is  too  simple,  for  the  popular  feeling  on  the 
subject.  It  is  not  mystical  enough  to  be  acceptable,  where 
early  impressions  and  sectarian  prejudices  reign,  with  their 
supreme  and  desolating  sway.  The  bread  must  be  the  lite- 
ral body,  and  the  wine  the  literal  blood,  of  our  crucified  re- 
deemer, somehow  or  other:  not  admitted,  but  most  posi- 
tively denied,  in  words  ;  yet  in  practical  effect  most  deeply, 
however  unconsciously,  felt.  To  inspect  the  real  feelings 
of  the  heart,  and  be  aware  of  all  the  subtlety  of  the  motives 
it  may  secretly  recognise,  is  a  process  of  self-examination, 
which  few  have  either  moral  vigor  or  discrimination  enough 
to  carry  fairly  out.  If  the  fact  be  not,  as  I  have  stated,  the 
remark  must  have  so  much  verisimilitude,  that  it  would  be 
difficult  to  distinguish  its  difference  from  any  other  view 
which  can  be  truly  asserted. 

A  similar  misinterpretation  of  an  outward  ordinance,  or 
an  official  agency,  attends  the  ideas  which  have  been  in- 
dulged in  relation  to  the  ministry  of  reconciliation.  They 
have  been  invested  with  the  power  to  forgive  sins,  and  ab- 
solve the  ignorant,  but  troubled,  offender.  A  beautiful  offi- 
cial gradation  has  been  invented,  which  conducts  the  eye  of 
an  admiring  and  unsuspecting,  professor  up  from  a  simple 
deacon,  by  a  race  of  bishops  and  archbishops,  until  you  reach 
the  pope  himself.  The  most  splendid  revenues  have  sus- 
tained a  most  heartless  sinecure  ;  and  a  priestly  domination 
has  beggared  the  conscience  of  the  saints.  Even  where 
such  proud  pretensions  have  been  courageously  assailed, 
still  a  fragment,  if  not  the  whole,  of  the  wilting  policy  has 
been  preserved.  The  sectarian  follows  the  dictation  of  the 
councils,  that  belong  to  his  party  ;  and  views  their  books  as 
the  consecrated  relics  of  gigantic  and  saintly  minds.  It  has 
not  been  long,  since  it  was  thought  a  sin,  worthy  of  exem- 
plary discipline,  for  a  member  of  one  denomination  to  hear 
a  minister  belonging  to  another.  And  even  now,  it  may-be 
viewed  as  extremely  hazardous  to  listen  to  an  argument,  which 


368  LECTURES  ON 

may  have  been  prejudged,  and  censured  as  aside  of  ordinary 
rule  or  a  prescribed  and  idolised  formularly.  How  import- 
ant, but  how  completely  misplaced,  are  external  ordinances  ! 
How  can  the  human  mind  enlarge,  or  the  human  conscience 
acquire  vigor,  under  such  an  ecclesiastical  administration? 
Personal  responsibility  is  the  costly  sacrifice,  which  multi- 
tudes have  offered  on  this  altar  of  idolatrous  ceremony.  If 
no  warning  can  obtain  an  audience,  why — be  it  so.  Under 
such  circumstances, — Jesus  wept. — Ere  long  the  world 
will  weep. 

If  we  interpret  new  testament  ordinances  on  such  princi- 
ples, it  is  no  wonder,  that  a  difficulty  has  been  felt  on  the 
subject  of  the  early  sacrifice  ;  or  that  a  discussion,  in  refer- 
ence to  it,  should  have  assumed  the  form  of  an  inquiry, 
whether  it  corresponded  with  reason,  or  could  be  derived 
from  the  light  of  nature  ?  But  literary  and  liberal  men  would 
have  saved  themselves  from  a  mere  verbal  argument,  and 
have  rendered  a  more  substantial  service  to  the  religious  com- 
munity; if  they  had  expended  the  effort,  which  they,  have 
made,  in  a  half-religious  and  half-literary  controversy,  on  the 
original  sacrifice,  on  the  mistaken  views  of  christian  ordi- 
nances, which  have  rendered  us  all  so  superstitiously  timid. 

One  question  more  remains.  The  Voice  of  Jehovah  Elo- 
him  is  represented  to  have  created  this  paradisiacal  taber- 
nacle, in  which  the  cherubim  were  placed,  at  the  east  end 
of  the  garden  ;  and  to  have  made  the  coats  of  skin,  in  which 
our  first  parents  were  clothed.  In  what  form, — the  form 
of  God,  or  the  form  of  man, — did  he  do  these  things  ?  It 
may  readily  be  answered,  that  if  the  curse  had  not  yet  been 
executed,  though  it  had  been  pronounced  ;  or  if  the  ground 
had  not  yet  been  thrown  under  that  physical  influence 
which  rendered  it  an  instrument  of  death  ;  Adam  might  have 
still  beheld  the  original  form,  under  which  Jehovah  was  man- 
ifested unto  him.  But  whether  the  curse  had  then  been 
executed  or  not,  it  has  been  already  observed,  that  change  is 
the  property  of  form;  that  Christ  was  transfigured,  changed 
his  form,  or  was  metamorphosed,  before  his  disciples;  that 
Eve  said, — I  have  gotten  a  man,  Jehovah  his  very  self;  and 
that  such  appearances,  in  human  form,  were  afterwards  pre- 
sented to  the  early  patriarchs,  in  Jehovah's  official  transac- 
tions with  them  ;  as  well  as  that  the  ideas  of  a  virgin-born 
saviour,  or  various  emanations  from  the  gods,  in  the  form  of 
man,  were  common  among  the  heathen,  which  no  one 
can  trace  up,  more  than  he  can  trace  up  sacrifice,  or  explain 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  369 

the  cherubic  symbols,  and  the  sacred  mounts  and  tabernacles, 
without  arriving  at  this  early  scene  that  has  given  rise  to  our 
present  question.  The  ordinances  then  created,  gave  form 
to  religious  services  throughout  the  world  till  Christ  came. 

In  either  case,  it  appears  to  me,  that  every  difficulty  is 
removed  ;  and  that  the  direct  agency,  attributed  to  the  Voice 
of  the  Lord  in  these  matters,  is  satisfactorily  explained. 

CONCLUSION. 

I  have  finished  the  proposed  analysis  of  the  first  three 
chapters  of  genesis;  and  have  discussed  the  various  gene- 
ral principles  of  the  government  of  God,  which  those  chap- 
ters present  to  our  view.  If  you  have  carefully  attended  to 
the  doctrines  I  have  advanced,  you  must  have  discovered 
that  no  essential  evangelical  truth  has  been  questioned. 
The  form,  in  which  the  subjects  belonging  to  both  law  and 
gospel  have  been  stated,  may  be  very  different  from  that, 
with  which  jyou  are  familiar ;  but  the  things  themselves 
have  been  very  distinctly  asserted,  and  very  earnestly  advo- 
cated. 

My  only  crime  is,  that  I  have  attempted  to  explain  the 
system  of  Christianity,  and  to  offer  some  argument  in  elucida- 
tion and  defence  of  its  doctrines,  which  I  have  supposed  to 
be  rational  and  scriptural.      A   mighty  offence  truly,  that 
the  abandonment  of  Christianity  should  be  inferred!     God 
forbid,  that  I  should  not  "hold  the  Head." — "God  forbid 
that  I  should  glory,   save   in  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  by  whom  the  world  is  crucified  unto  me,  and  I  unto 
the  world." — God  forbid  that  I  should  "  know  any  thing  a- 
mong  you    save  Jesus  Christ  and  him  ciucified."      "For  I 
am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ ;  for  it  is  the  power 
of  God  unto  salvation,  to  every  one  that  believetii  ;  to  the 
jew  first,  and  also  to  the  greek."      Any  accusation,  which 
would  rapidly   and    harshly  arraign   my  ministrations,    and 
condemn  my  well  intentioned  efforts  to  explain  "the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus,"  would  be  both  unkind  and  unrighteous. — 
"But  with  me  it  is  a  very  small  thing  that  I  should  be  judged 
of  man's  judgment."     Long  since  have  I  committed  myself 
and  my  ministry  to  the  providential  care  of  the  master  him- 
self: and  with  him  am  I  still  willing  to  leave  the  high  offi- 
cial interests,  which  have  assigned   the  present  task. — But 
it  has  become,  by  a  vast  deal,   too   common  for    profes- 


370  LECTURES  ON 

sors  to  criticise  the  personal  religion  of  those  around  them, 
and  thereby  betray  their  own  gross  deficiencies. 

Had  I  supposed,  however,  in  framing  and  delivering  such 
a  systematic  arrangement  of  scriptural  subjects,  as  has  been 
pronounced  in  your  hearing;  about  which  there  is  a  great 
deal  of  seeming  novelty  ;  and  which,  step  by  step,  conflicts 
with  so  many  sectarian  prejudices,  and  long  established  max- 
ims; — had  I  supposed,  that  the  whole  should  have  been  at 
once  fully  apprehended  and  accurately  repeated,  I  should 
have  betrayed  my  utter  ignorance  of  the  intellectual  and 
moral  character  of  religious  society.  Living  in  an  age 
when  an  old  excitement  has  run  down  ;  and  when  a  new 
one,  whose  causes  and  extent  are  scarcely  perceived,  is  car- 
rying forward  the  human  mind  to  act  under  a  different  social 
organization  ; — undertaking  a  serious  discussion  of  elemen- 
tal principles,  when  so  many  others  are  seeking  to  control 
society  by  reiterated  appeals  to  feeling,  or  are  inducing  an 
expenditure  of  public  zeal  in  social  combinations; — and 
even  questioning  the  wisdom  and  policy  of  many  of  the  po- 
pular movements,  from  which,  almost  every  one  tells  me  so 
much  good  is  proceeding; — the  most  I  could  expect  would 
be  attention,  toleration,  and  candor.  How  far  even  these 
have  been,  or  may  yet  be  awarded,  in  response  to  a  course 
of  lectures,  which  possibly  might  be  prejudged  and  unhes- 
itatingly condemned,  even  while  they  were  unheard,  J 
shall  leave  to  your  own  judgment  to  decide. — Read  society 
for  yourselves.  The  principles  of  sectarian  policy  are  not  very 
deep.  Its  story  is  too  old,  and  has  been  too  often  recited  on 
the  theatre  of  ecclesiastical  strife,  while  its  advocates  have 
too  frequently  outwitted  themselves,  and  desolated  the  high 
and  holy  interests  committed  to  their  charge,  for  any  reflect- 
ing man  to  be  deceived.  Harsh  and  cruel,  disingenuous  and 
uncandid,  imperious  and  unrelenting,  it  shall  have  its  own 
reward  ;  and,  sooner  or  later,  be  overtaken  by  a  retributive 
providence.  The  Lord  himself  will  institute  a  righteous  in- 
quisition; when,  as  Jesus  said  to  his  disciples,  in  reference 
to  the  envious  pharisees, — "  Every  plant,  which  my  heavenly 
Father  hath  not  planted,  shall  be  rooted  up."  In  all  our 
collisions  ;  or  in  the  excitement  of  temper,  and  the  crimina- 
tion and  recrimination  to  which  they  may  lead;  we  should 
every  one  habitually  recollect,  that  the  Lord  himself  is  judge 
over  all  the  earth. 

If,  in  the  course  of  the  discussion  which  I  have  pursued,  any 
-.    iark  has  escaped   me,  which  may  be  justly  censured  as 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  371 

giving  unnecessary  offence,  or  wantonly  inflicting  pain ;  if 
I  have  proved  myself  reckless  of  any  brother's  feelings  or 
interests,  and. thus  swerved  from  the  integrity,  or  corrupted 
the  purity,  of  the  ministerial  character,  I  am  not  above 
craving  pardon.  He,  who  was  "in  the  form  of  God,  and 
made  himself  of  no  reputation,  but  took  upon  him  the  form 
of  a  servant,  and  was  found  in  the  likeness  of  men,"  thus 
humbled  himself,  on  purpose  to  teach  us,-— "That  nothing 
should  be  done  through  strife  or  vain  glory  ;  and  that  in  low- 
liness of  mind,  each  should  esteem  others  better  than  them- 
selves." If  truth  be  severe;  and  reflections  on  the  charac- 
ter and  tendency  of  public  doings,  uttered  for  the  sake  of 
needful  and  seasonable  illustration,  be  considered  offensive; 
I  can  only  reply,  that  while  the  sense  of  duty  was  thus 
evinced,  and  an  appeal,  unreserved  and  fearless,  was  thus 
made  to  your  own  understandings,  nothing  unkind  was  in-' 
tended.  If  I  were  conscious  of  the  power  to  avenge  any 
supposed,  or  real,  offence,  yet  I  should  consider  the  oppor- 
tunity that  invited  its  exercise,  as  a  loud  and  peremptory 
call  scrupulously  to  analyse  the  feelings  of  my  own  heart. 
A  more  salutary  or  important  lesson  has  not  been  taught  us, 
than  that  which  the  redeemer  thus  pointedly  expresses; — "If 
ye  forgive  not  men  their  trespasses,  neither  will  your  Father 
forgive  your  trespasses."  No  intention,  not  even  the  slight- 
est, has  been  cherished,  throughout  the  preceding  observa- 
tions, to  wound  any  man's  feelings,  to  injure  any  man's 
standing,  to  curtail  any  man's  influence,  or  in  any  way  to 
indulge  in  unhandsome  and  fretting  personalities.  My  con- 
test has  been  with  principles,  and  not  with  men :  and  if  I 
have  spoken  of  theologians,  I  have  merely  used  a  general 
term,  without  designing  to  make  personal  allusions. — Though 
utterly  unconscious  that  such  an  apology  for  any  hasty  ex- 
pression of  feeling  is  necessary;  yet,  if  it  be  necessary,  I 
cheerfully  make  it. 

Again,  dear  brethren,  suffer  me  to  remind  you,  that  I  am 
not  attempting,  by  any  show  of  artful  reasoning,  to  make  a 
stealthy  approach  to  a  lordship  over  your  consciences.  I 
covet  no  influence,  but  that  which  truth  awards  ;  or  which 
the  master,  in  his  own  holy  and  condescending  providence, 
would  sanction  and  bless.  "A  man,"  said  John  the  baptist, 
when  certain  disputants  would  rouse  his  jealousies  on  ac- 
count of  his  master's  apparent  popularity, — "A  man  can 
receive  nothing,  except  it  be  given  him  from  heaven."  I 
have  no  secret  policy  to  sustain,  nor  painful   misgivings  to 


372  LECTURES  ON 

conceal.  Your  submissive  credence  is  not  asked  to  any 
thing  of  which  you  are  not  personally  convinced.  When 
Noah,  Job,  or  Daniel,  could  save  neither  son  nor  daughter 
by  their  righteousness;  it  would  be  the  height  of  folly  and 
impiety,  for  any  man,  to  decoy  you  from  a  distinct  and 
lofty  sense  of  your  personal  responsibility,  by  setting  forth 
his  own  vicarious  pretensions  ;  or  to  seek  to  convert  your 
love  of  truth  into  an  idolatrous  confidence  in  himself.  No, 
brethren,  no.  You  must  search  the  truth  for  yourselves; 
and  by  individual  fellowship  with  the  Father,  and  his  Son 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  become  conscious  of  the  evangelic 
realities  which  have  been  set  before  you. — If  any  respect, 
or  affection,  which  you  may  have  invariably  extended  to  me, 
for  my  work's  sake,  should  avail  to  rouse  you  to  deliberate 
and  prayerful  thought  ;  and  if  the  truth,  as  it  is  in  Jesus, 
should  leave  its  hallowing  and  heavenly  impressions  on  your 
own  spirits,  I  could  neither  ask,  nor  desire,  more.  The 
services  I  render,  are  purely  ministerial ;  preparative  to  higher 
relations  in  glory  ;  and  without  the  most  distant  desire  after 
artificial  importance,  or  ghostly  power.— I  beseech  you,  in 
the  language  of  our  beloved  Lord, — "  Call  no  man  your  Fa- 
ther on  the  earth  :  for  one  is  your  Father,  which  is  in  hea- 
ven. Neither  be  ye  called  Masters;  for  one  is  your  Mas- 
ter, even  Christ." 

I  may  be  wrong.  The  theory  that  has  been  exhibited 
to  your  view,  may  be  very  defective.  Should  such  be  the 
fact,  the  investigation,  which  has  yielded  the  principles  of 
christian  philosophy  here  carefully  developed,  has  distinctly 
taught  me,  that  a  christian  man  should  ever  preserve  his 
mind  open  to  conviction  ;  and  be  ready  to  receive  truth  from 
whatever  source  it  may  be  derived.  Progress  in  knowledge 
is  as  much  a  characteristic  of  christian  living,  as  progress  in 
holiness  can  be.  The  controvertist,  who  boasts  that  he  has 
passed  from  childhood  to  a  man's  estate,  without  ever 
changing  his  views  ;  who  thinks  that  the  mere  fact  of  such 
a  change  is  a  disgraceful  dereliction  ;  and  who  solemnly 
determines  that  he  never  will ;  while  he  lives,  alter  his  ideas  ; 
may  have  learned  his  catechism  well ;  may  have  received  a 
very  distinct  impression  from  the  signet  of  sectarian  author- 
ity ;  or,  with  peculiar  accuracy,  and  enthusiastic  fondness, 

"  May  grind  divinity  of  other  days 
Down  into  modern  use." 

But  he   is  the  mere   child  of  early  prejudice.     He  has  not 
reviewed  the  course,   nor   ascertained  the  value,  of  ever- 


MORAL  GOVERNMENT.  373 

changing  circumstances;    under  which  God  himself  may 
have  modified  all  his  providential  proceedings.     A  higher 
service  could  not  be  rendered  to  such  a  man,  than  to  in- 
duce him  carefully   to   examine   his  creed,   and  diligently 
to  study  himself  :  or  to  apprise  him  that  he  has  taken  on 
trust,  what  he  supposes  himself  to  know.     He  mistakes  his 
talent ;  overrates  his  strength  ;  finds  fault  without  the  power 
of  defending  his  inconsiderate  remarks;   and  gets  rid  of  his 
difficulties,  by  refusing  to  look  at  them.     Minds,  thus  un- 
happily drilled,   were  readily   preoccupied    by  false  views 
mistaken  for  vital  religion,  and  crucified  their  long-promised 
Messiah.     Such  minds,  revolted  from  the  simplicity  of  the 
gospel,  and  succumbed  to  papal  jurisdiction,  when  the  re- 
formers called  them  to  contemplate   and   confide  in  the 
righteousness  of  the  Son  of  God.    Such  minds  are  never  pre- 
pared for  the  revolutions  through  which  society  must  necessa- 
rily pass.    And  if  they  are  now  mingling  in  the  controversies 
which  are  abroad  in  the  earth,  the  millennium  itself  will  lose 
its  beauty  and  interest  in  their  eyes.    I  pray  you,  look  well  to 
this  matter ;   personally  and  honestly  investigate  it,  as  though 
it  could  not  require  too  great  an  expenditure  of  thought,  or 
be  too  often  associated  with  humble  and  anxious  prayer. 
To  repeat  it ; — I  may  be  wrong ;   and,  if  so,  should  be  thank- 
ful to  be  corrected.     But  more  will  be  necessary  to  produce 
this,  than  mere  dictatorial  assertion,  or  authoritative  criti- 
cism.    These  are  very  common  in   theological  circles,  and 
can  affect  no  one  who  understands  his  subject,  or  has  any 
respect  for  himself.     On  such  high  subjects  no  man  may  be 
magisterial. 

Yet  even  if  the  theory  advanced  be  inaccurate,  there  is 
no  principle  urged,  nor  doctrine  stated,  about  which  chris- 
tian men  and  ministers,  both  good  and  intelligent,  have  not 
differed  in  opinion.  In  every  age,  almost,  have  these  sub- 
jects been  freely  canvassed  ;  and  different  sects  have  never 
gained  any  thing  by  their  long  cherished  hostilities.  Cal- 
vinists  and  arminians,  established  and  dissenting  churches, 
have  alike  to  look  back  with  complacency  upon  a  long  line 
of  revered  and  holy  men,  who  lived  like  saints ;  and  died 
like  soldiers  of  the  cross,  reposing  in  the  arms  of  the  great 
Captain  of  their  salvation.  And  why  may  not  men  differ 
now,  as  well  as  heretofore,  and  still  be  loved  and  hailed  as 
brethren  ?  Why  all  this  contention  ?  On  what  moral  prin- 
ciple is  it,  I  pray  you,  that  a  man  may  not  utter  and  main- 
tain his  sentiments,  because  his  brother,  frail  and  fallible 
32 


374  LECTURES  ON 

like  himself,  happens  to  espouse  different  sentiments  ?  Is 
it  really  a  fact,  that  a  professor,  who,  thinking  for  himself, 
cannot  coincide  with  the  majority,  has  therefore  abandoned 
the  gospel,  and  turned  traitor  to  the  Prince  of  peace  ?  Is 
mind  to  be  scorned  and  scouted,  when,  appearing  near  the 
altars  of  the  Son  of  God,  she  asks  after  the  reason  of  his 
institutions  ?  Are  immortal  spirits,  on  their  way  to  an  ever- 
lasting communion  with  intellectual  beings,  to  be  con- 
demned as  criminal,  because  they  would  learn  to  think  un- 
der the  superintending  care  of  the  Holy  Ghost?  Are  we  to 
be  told  in  pettish  and  angry  tones, — all  these  things  have 
been  examined  a  thousand  times  before ;  and  no  one  may 
be  presumptuous  enough  to  hope,  that  he  shall  throw  the 
smallest  portion  of  light,  on  the  interesting,  but  perplexing, 
themes  ?  Shall  the  promise  of  divine  teaching  inspire  no  con- 
fidence ;  and  is  every  one  bound  down  under  an  irreversi- 
ble fate,  which  renders  it  impossible  for  the  human  mind  to 
apprehend,  or  explain,  the  very  things  which  God  has  pro- 
fessedly revealed  1  If  certain  premises  infallibly  lead  to  un- 
happy and  distracting  conclusions,  shall  we  be  forbidden  to 
inquire  after  t"he  accuracy  and  wisdom  of  those  premises  ? 
Or,  finding  that  they  have  been  unquestioned  and  unexamin- 
ed, down  through  a  long  line  of  theological  writers,  and 
multitudes  of  generations,  who  were  prohibited  the  use  of 
every  thing  but  artificial  systems,  shall  the  mighty  aggregate 
of  tremulous  and  submissive  disciples  foreclose  inquiry,  and 
compel  us  to  receive  what  we  do  not  understand,  and  dare 
not  investigate?  They  who  can  abide  such  intellectual 
vassalage,  must  be  left  to  enjoy  their  unenvied  immunities; 
or  nurse  their  prejudices,  and  sustain  their  personal  reli- 
gion, by  an  overaction  both  imprudent  and  hurtful.  Every 
pure  and  holy  mind  would  long  to  enjoy  better  things, 
among  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  ;  and  desire  to  show  to 
the  world,  that  different  opinions  on  the  philosophy  of  mo- 
rals, like  different  opinions  on  the  philosophy  of  physics, 
may  only  argue  a  variety  of  intellectual  powers,  and  of  the 
circumstances  under  which  those  powers  are  developed. — 
This  promised  and  prescribed  uniformity  in  the  perceptions 
of  religious  truth,  is  purely  chimerical.  Theologians,  in 
expecting  it,  have  necessarily  been  disappointed;  and  scep- 
tics, in  demanding  it,  have  condemned  the  purest  philoso- 
phy, when  they  supposed  themselves  to  be  assailing  Chris- 
tianity. 

Having  yielded  to  a  request,  often  and  kindly  urged,  to  pre- 
pare these  lectures  for  the  press,  I  now  lay  my  publication 


Moral  government.  375 

on  the  altars  of  the  sanctuary ;  and  before  him,  to  whom 
every  christian,  and  every  minister,  should  be  able  to  appeal 
for  the  purity  of  his  motives.  Nor  would  I  cherish  any  other 
anxiety  about  it,  than  that  it  may  do  good  and  not  evil  ; 
and  more  particularly,  that  young  men,  who  are  in  great 
danger  of  mistaking  the  present  agitation  of  society,  maybe 
led  to  the  only  refuge, — the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  They  may 
not  be  aware,  how  far  the  influence  of  past  ages  is  in  con- 
flict with  the  advance  of  science,  or  opposed  to  the  strong 
sense  of  personal  responsibility,  which  is  pervading  both 
church  and  state.  Ardently  should  we  all  desire  that  these 
may  not  be  driven  into  infidelity  ;  and,  to  the  utmost  of  his 
power,  every  one  should  labor  to  explain  to  them  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  christian  system.  Young  ministers  might  be 
the  sympathising  counsellors  of  the  companions  of  their 
youth.  But,  perhaps,  even  some  of  them,  distracted  by  the 
multitude  of  systems,  which  theological  seminaries  may  be 
tenderly  rescuing  from  the  grave,  may  be  helplessly  hang- 
ing on  the  arm  of  some  ecclesiastical  father,  who  can  scarce- 
ly realise  that  his  son  has  become  a  man.  Or,  it  may  be, 
that,  confiding  in  the  strength  of  their  position,  or  compla- 
cently reposing  on  the  promises  of  an  evanescent  populari- 
ty ;  or  fearing  some  inquisitorial  outrage,  to  which  the  law 
of  their  party  may  subject  them  ;  they  may  not  have  forecast 
enough  to  divine,  or  courage  enough  to  prepare  for,  any 
probable  changes. — May  God  save  our  young  men  from  the 
impending  ruin!  Should  my  volume  fall  into  their  hands, 
may  he  sanctify  it  to  lead  them  to  estimate  their  personal 
responsibility,  and  to  induce  them  to  think  for  them- 
selves. 

Dear  brethren, — I  often  look  forward  to  the  coming  times, 
with  a  feeling  that  is  painfully  intense,  and  in  the  anxious 
musings  of  my  own  heart,  ask  myself,  how  our  children  shall 
fare  amid  the  religious  distractions,  and  political  turmoils, 
which  have  commenced  their  apparently  ill-omened  career? 
The  ancient  mode  of  religious  instruction,  by  which  the 
memories  of  children  were  stored  with  the  abstractions  of  a 
heavy  catechism,  and  under  the  imposing  but  deceptive  idea 
that  it  was  a  form  of  sound  words,  has  sunk  into  disuse, 
as  it  ought  to  have  done.  The  substitute  which  should  have 
been  adopted,  or  a  prayerful  parental  effort  diligently  to 
teach  "the  statutes  and  commandments  of  the  Lord,"  as 
they  are  distinctly  stated  in  his  own  bible,  has  not  been  faith- 
fully employed.     The  rising  generation  are  growing  up  in 


376  LECTURES  ON 

comparative  ignorance  of  divine  things,  to  betray,  I  fear, 
their  moral  imbecility  or  perverseness,  when  their  fathers 
are  lying  in  the  dust.  Great  reliance  is  reposed  in  some 
periodical  excitement,  to  produce  which  much  undignified 
and  violent  effort  is  made  ;  and  religious  ceremonies  are  in- 
creasing, while  spiritual  intelligence  is  becoming  more  and 
more  defective.  The  christian,  who  loves  the  church,  and 
yearns  for  the  souls  of  men  ; — the  moralist,  who  can  scan 
human  character,  or  estimate  the  worth  of  causes  by  the 
effects  which  are  produced,  cannot  calmly  look  at  the  scene, 
that  is  spread  out  before  him. 

I  speak  to  you  with  all  the  candor  and  frankness  of  one 
who  has  nothing  to  fear,  excepting  that  he  may  go  wrong, 
and  nothing  to  desire,  but  his  master's  approbation  and  bless- 
ing. I  pray  and  beseech  you  to  bring  your  children  to  the 
mercy-seat,  and  importunately  to  implore  the  glorified  sa- 
viour to  bless  them.  Unfold  to  their  view  the  treasures,  the 
exceeding  riches  of  grace  and  glory,  which  the  bible  con- 
veys to  your  fire-sides  and  to  your  bosoms.  Teach  them  to 
plead  for  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  to  rest  upon  them.  And 
when  you  die,  leave  them  the  blessing  of  your  faith,  and 
charge  them  never  to  forget  that  the  eible — the  bible — is 
the  charter  of  their  heavenly  hopes,  and  the  counsellor  in 
their  earthly  sorrows. 

May  God  give  his  Spirit  to  you  and  your  children  ;  and 
discover  to  you  and  them  the  unutterable  value  of  his  bible. 
May  the  light  of  his  countenance  guide  and  cheer  you 
throughout  your  earthly  pilgrimage  ;  and  bring  you  at  last, 
regenerated,  redeemed,  and  glorified,  to  dwell  with  him  for 
ever,  in  his  high  and  holy  habitation. 


THE    END. 


